The Fellowship Of The Vault Hunters
by Sunshine Muncher
Summary: When Handsome Jack transports the vault hunters to middle earth for his own entertainment. To return to Pandora, the vault hunters must learn to work together and get along. The safety of Roland and Sanctuary depend on the vaults hunters. Along the way they get surprise visitors from Pandora! Who? I don't know!
1. Fast Tr0uble (haha see what I did here?)

**Chapter 1-**

**I couldn't think of a title for this book at all! If anyone can give some suggestions I'd appreciate that, but until get a title, this story will remain named**

**'I can't think of a name for this book' please leave suggestions!**

**i'd even like the title to be sort of light hearted, thus the story style.**

Two runners sped along the broken cracked road of The Dust, inside of them, Zer0 and Maya, in one and Axton and Salvador in the other. "Hey guys!" Salvador shouted into his echo device from the turret of his runner, "how long until we're there!" Maya answered back from the driver's seat of the blue runner ahead, "Not too far, my map reads Friendship Gulag is over the ridge ahead, near some catch a ride station!"

The four vault hunters were passing by Ellie's Garage when Zer0 spoke over the echo, "we should stop here, I'm out of ammo." Maya sighed annoyed, "dude, seriously? How'd you run out so fast? We need to rescue Roland, and every moment wasted will probably ensure his death!" Zer0 shrugged, "there were many enemies, I had to kill them, sniper rifles are more fun to use." Maya rolled her eyes, "I don't care how much you would rather use a sniper rifle, but at least the runner turrets have unlimited ammo!"  
"Okay fine! Axton we're stopping by Ellie's to get more ammo!" Over the echo Axton muttered agreement also sounding annoyed and the vault hunters turned sharply around and pulled into Ellie's, Salvador laughing insanely as he tore the spiderants apart with bullets leaving them screeching and twitching on the ground.

Maya watched from her runner as Zer0 hopped lightly out of the runner, she scanned the dusty blue sky impatiently. After Zer0, Salvador, Axton, and Maya finally fought their way through hordes of bandits in the Bloodshot stronghold to rescue Roland, leader of the Crimson Raiders, and former vault hunter, also the only key to defeating Handsom Jack, he was snatched away by a huge Hyperion constructor, and unfortunately after chasing it through hordes of loaders that were raiding the Bloodshot Ramparts, the four vault hunters were unable to destroy the constructor before it got away. Maya scowled annoyed at the memory.

Axton, who was always taking control of the group, had excessively irritated Maya to the point where throughout the Bloodshot stronghold she finally blew up at him when they were in the middle of trying to kill a badass psycho. It had been to huge for her siren powers to phase lock and she could only hurt it.

While she was trying to hold it still, Axton kept yelling non-stop, "phase lock it! Phase lock the fricken psycho!" Maya shot back with a glare only ducking just in time as its buzz saw whisked inches away from cleaving her skull open, the psycho roared angrily and turned around only to trip and slump over, blood streaming from its partially blown flaming head. Maya turned to see Zero standing nearby, a sniper rifle aimed where the psycho once stood, a smiley face appearing over his visor. "I killed it, you should have tried harder, it also would have seriously hurt you." Maya snorted, she was a siren, completely capable of defending herself. She didn't need other people to save anyways, and, Zero rubbing his victories in her face all the time.

Axton threw his arms up a scowl on his face, "see? This is what I-" Axton stopped as his eyes fell on the incendiary sniper rifle in Zer0's hands, "where did you get that gun from? You did not have that gun before."

Maya scanned the corpse strewn walkways, "all the loot's gone!" Salvador ran up to meet the other three, "who took all the loot?" The midget looked really disappointed.

Maya glared at Zer0, "Okay! Why do you always do that? You take all the good loot, and steal all the kills!" Zer0 was silent and he just walked on, "come, we don't have much time, Roland is nearby." Maya sighed, "Stupid freak." Axton, who usually didn't agree or get along with Maya, snorted in laughter. Zer0, intent upon the mission ignored his two companions.

After they finally got through all the loaders up on the Bloodshot ramparts, tensions were rising between the four vault hunters, and even Zer0 who was generally calm and stopped all too common fights in the group was beginning to get frustrated with Maya's and Axton's constant bickering.

Salvador was just happy as long as he could kill things though. Zer0 did come to the conclusion that Axton and Maya did not get along, and probably never would, but he didn't mention it since Maya disliked Zer0 just as much.

As the vault hunters picked their way through a wall of rubble after killing a particularly annoying group of exp loaders they came up to the archway where the constructor was hiding out.

Maya loaded her SMG and prepared to race around the corner where the constructor held the struggling Roland captive and shoot the hell out of the thing when Axton raced past her yelling at the top of his lungs, almost knocking into Zer0, who was going to sneak up to it and shoot it right in the eye, taking the machine by surprise.

Maya growled, "so much for a strategy mister commando strategist guy." He was probably just showing off though because as soon he rushed over an exp loader, that wouldn't have been spawned if Axton had listened to Maya's plan where no one would be hurt and everyone would come out just fine, blew up and nothing was left but a dark smudge.

Maya smirked, "I hope you have the cash to pay for your new U." Salvador laughed, "barely, but just enough!"

Their laughter was cut short when Roland was yelling, "Stop joking around and kill the goddamn constructor already!" Maya jumped out from the wall and blew the leg off a Gun loader trying to run at Zero with a melee attack, it blew up instantly already having been partly damaged.

Salvador ran out not far behind gunzerking at a badass loader. Maya tried to get close but the constructor kept spawning more loaders and Roland telling them to kill the constructor wasn't helping at all. There was no way the four vault hunters could get close enough to it and even with Axton's sabre turret, the loaders were too hard to stop.

"Oh shit! It's getting away!" Maya groaned. The loader took off carrying Roland with it. The group finished off the other loaders still left and stared silently off to where it disappeared. Maya turned to Axton angry, "why did you have to go running at it like that?! I had a plan! Now we have no clue where it went off to!"

Axton had nothing to say. "That's what I thought." Maya finished and joined her other companions who were scavenging through the loot. For once Zero didn't actually take everything, except for the sniper shells. And the group was unnaturally quiet.

Maya was picking up an incendiary repeater, when Jacks voice started up through the echo's. Everyone ignored him, since he never said anything about Roland's whereabouts. That was when Angel's voice came through; Maya was still really pissed off at Axton and missed everything Angel said. "What'd she say?" Maya asked.

Zer0 glanced at her annoyed that the siren wasn't listening to everything Angel said. He was about to repeat the instructions when Salvador interrupted the assassin. "The constructor took Roland to The Dust, to a Hyperion Compound."

"Then let's go!" Maya led her companions to the fast travel station and soon they were driving runners out to the dust. Zer0 had insisted that Maya ride with him, because he feared that she might decide to kill Axton and waste more time.

Now they were waiting for Zer0 to get more sniper ammo from the vending machines. Maya shifted impatiently in the driver's seat waiting for the assassin to come back when she noticed a strange purple light emanating from the fast travel station by the garage entrance.

Curious she got up out of the runner ignoring Axton's sigh not far behind. Maya stopped nearby, "has anyone ever seen a fast travel station do this before?" Salvador and Axton had walked up behind Maya and studied it, "no... I wonder..." Axton stopped as Zer0 slipped in between them a question mark over his helmet. Unfortunately Zer0 stumbled when Axton stuck his foot out to trip him and pushed Maya into the fast travel station.

Before they could do anything purple sparks shot out of it and enveloped the group, then suddenly everything went black.


	2. L0st

Chapter 2-

Maya blinked open her eyes feeling rather fuzzy in the head. She pushed herself up grumbling about how stupid Axton had to trip Zer0 and do who knows what to the four vault hunters.

Maya suddenly realized that the ground was soft and grassy beneath her, not sandy and dry. Maya scanned the area around her, eyes widening in shock.

There were old, very old, huge trees surrounding her blocking out a lot of sunlight in the canopy above, and everywhere there were singing birds, flitting around the tree branches. The air was very cool and moist, and nothing looked like it was on Pandora.

Maya felt at her side noticing with relief that her guns were still there, but none of her companions were anywhere to be seen in the thick forest.

Axton stirred wondering what the heck happened back at the fast travel station and wishing that he hadn't tripped Zer0, because when he finally opened his eyes to see Salvador lying propped against a huge thick tree. The gunzerker was out cold and there was a huge thick tree.

Axton got up realizing that one: there was never a place like this on Pandora, never mind a forest, and two: that Maya and Zer0 were missing. Axton found his machine gun lying on the wet ground and picked it up.

He walked over to his remaining companion and nudged the snoring midget with his foot. "Hey Salvador, get up!" Salvador opened his eyes and groaned, "Wow, what the heck happened back there?" Salvador stopped his mouth wide open as he beheld the strange forest.

Axton shrugged, "I don't know, but whatever happened, we need to find Maya and Zero now." Salvador pushed himself up staring at the ancient trees in wonder and feeling suddenly energized by this new and strange place, "well then? Let's go find em!"

The two vault hunters decided to pick a random direction, since they had no idea where to go and where their friends could be. For some reason, the place kept giving Axton the creeps and he began to wish for his other companions no matter how annoying they were. Salvador didn't seem to care as much, and in fact he seemed rather excited, probably because this was completely new to the gunzerker, being raised on Pandora and all.  
Axton pulled out his gun hoping that this place whatever it was had ammo.

Zer0 opened his eyes to find himself lying in the bottom of a dry river bed. Ancient trees arched far overhead, and ferns grew in huge clumps along the edge of the river. Instantly he felt at his side, and with relief found his katana. He scanned the river and found his incendiary sniper rifle lying against a rock, and his pistol was still luckily in its holster.  
Zer0 had no clue where he was and realized that his companions were nowhere to be seen, not that it mattered, he could easily survive without them, but he felt he had to make sure they were okay.

Zero unsheathed his katana and struck out in a random direction hoping that the other three vault hunters would be nearby. As he was slicing his way through annoying thick undergrowth, it suddenly occurred to Zer0, since he was more logical than the other three, to use his echo device to contact them.

He discovered that Maya was the closest to him since her echo signal was stronger and contacted it. Though just as he did, another signal interrupted his, and Jacks voice came to life.

"Hey there vault hunters, I just wanted you to know that I've found another way to get rid of you. Though tell you what, if you can all reunite with each other, maybe I'll tell you where you are, and I may even make a deal with you, only if I'm in the mood. Okay, bye."

So Jack had been behind this, whatever was going on. Then Zero wondered if his place even had guns, or ammo.

Maya pushed aside thick undergrowth, feeling dew soaking her skin, she sighed wondering where Jack did put them, and how he even could manage to move them all to a completely different place. Just then, Zer0 contacted Maya through her echo, "Maya? Are you there? I am lost." Maya felt relieved that Zero was okay, though she couldn't help but add a sarcastic comment. "Oh really? Well then good for you! Because, if it hasn't occurred to you, I'm also lost this goddamn fricken forahhhh!"

Maya shrieked loudly as a massive thick cobweb that must have housed thousands of spiders tangled around her face. Through the echo she heard Zer0 laugh, well what was his laughter, though it creeped her out. "Shut up you creepy shit! It's not funny!" Maya was picking the cobweb out of her hair and face when Zer0 repeated, "Where are you? I am still lost, that was also funny." Maya huffed embarrassed that she would react to a cobweb like that, "you know what, I really have no clue where I am at the moment, and I don't know where Salvador and Axton are either. But I guess we'll hope we can find each other... You know what?" Maya had an idea, "I'll yell your name loudly until you find me. Just follow my voice." "Fine." Zer0 answered back.

So Maya started yelling Zer0's name at the top of her lungs, though her voice didn't seem to carry that far unfortunately. After about two minutes, there was no one coming and Maya stopped, "Zer0... Oh screw that!" Zer0 on the other hand had heard Maya quite clearly, though barely.

And someone else had managed to hear Maya loud and clear, someone very sleepy and unhappy, not very far from where she was.

Maya gave up hoping that Zer0 had heard her and she didn't manage to attract some horrible beast with her yelling. Her hopes were dashed when she collided with a huge tree trunk that had never been there before. Ow! Fucking tree! Stupid Goddamn Jack! And who the hell moves trees around for people to crash into them anyways!?" At this point Maya was extremely cross, and sweaty, and it didn't help that there were also insects constantly biting her arms and neck. Plus she was just rambling to herself and she was beginning to actually feel scared.

Out of anger, Maya kicked the tree hard, which she instantly regretted. Because that was when she heard a loud grumble, a rumble it the ground and the tree trunk shifted.

In fact, it wasn't a tree trunk at all it was a giant leg, Maya didn't bother looking to see what the thing was, she turned around echoing Zer0 who was already nearby, "Zer0 I need you to come fast, very fast!" Maya booked it in a random direction which was luckily in Zer0's direction. But before she got very far, Maya felt a blunt object hit her hard on the head and she toppled over unconscious.

Axton slashed through a thick pile of branches blocking his way with a knife, he had still not thought to contact anyone, and insisted on blindly cutting through impossible undergrowth. "Axton," Salvador began, "I think we should stop or we'll get lost." Axton whipped around glaring, "we are lost you idiot! I'm just trying to find Maya and Zer0 so we can all be lost together and maybe Jack will tell us where the hell we are!"

Axton finished his sentence breathing heavily. He had no idea what to do now, and echoing Zero or Maya wasn't occurring to him at all. He didn't want to admit it, but he was actually getting very nervous out here.

Salvador pointed to Axton's echo device, "maybe you should try echoing Maya or Zer0?" Axton stopped and almost hit himself in the face, but he listened to Salvador's advice and tried echoing Maya. "Maya, Are you there?" There was no answer. Axton tried again, Maya, Are you okay?" there was nothing.

Axton tried the same with Zero, but there was still nothing. That meant, they were too far away, which made no sense, the forest was blocking the signal, or something bad happened to them.

Axton looked at Salvador and shrugged. "Well, that's just great!" Salvador replied sarcastically. Axton having no idea what to do just stopped walking and sat down on the spot, feeling exhausted and defeated. Salvador joined him saying, "Sounds like a plan." And they just stayed like that, for a long time, wishing they had something to drink.

Whatever Jack had done this was definitely not good, and Axton had no clue where his other two companions were. But whatever they did the vault hunters had to get out of these woods, and get to Roland, if they were even on Pandora.


	3. Tw0 Little F00tsteps

Zer0 followed the sound of Maya's voice through the undergrowth, which was very hard, but at least he had an idea of where to go now.

He began to notice after a minute of hammering through branches cobwebs and ferns that her voice was slightly closer. Then a minute later, it stopped.

Zer0 sighed sarcastically, "oh thanks a lot, I am definitely not lost, and relying on you to not be lost."

Zer0 continued forcing his way through the bushes only to be contacted through his echo, "Zer0, I need you to come here fast, very fast!" Then there was nothing except for the initial thump of something big.

Maya's voice sounded fearful and that wasn't even normal for her as a siren. Zer0 decided that since Maya didn't usually want help, and usually would be very pissed off at him, he would take his time with helping her just in case, because at this point in time, he really didn't want to have a fight with her or anyone.

Zero then started to feel a huge thudding reverberating in the ground coming from the direction of where Maya was. It was something huge as it was getting closer and closer quite swiftly And the ground was vibrating quite hard now. Zer0 stopped and drew his digistruct katana and slipped into deception.

He was really glad that he had done that because as he crouched behind a rock the trees shuddered with the impact of the walking creature and a huge tree, yes, a walking tree, stepped out into sight. "Shit." Zer0 muttered, because then he saw in its grasp, limp and unconscious, Maya.

Zer0 could have just left the tree to go on, but he decided that he definitely did not want to be alone in this place. The tree did see Zer0's decoy and grunted surprised and angry.

With its other wooded hand it reached down meaning to pick up Zer0 but its hand went right through it. This, of course, made the tree unhappy and confused, never mind it being woken up by obnoxious shouting and getting kicked in the foot. The tree scanned the forest with its beady eyes, hoping to catch sight of Zer0.

Zer0's decoy was still active when he snuck behind it and lightly leapt up one of its legs. Zer0 was tense wondering if the creature would notice, but it didn't. Zer0 climbed the creature while he was still in deception, then when he stood up near its head, Zer0 drew his katana, thinking this was probably a terrible idea and he reappeared about to strike.

The tree grunted in surprise in a quite mannerly like way, and swung backwards throwing the assassin off its face. Zer0 went tumbling down to the ground almost dropping his katana. Zer0 realized that if he didn't do something he would have a high chance of dying if he hit the ground, which he was falling towards, almost headfirst.

Zer0 managed to swing himself around and grasp onto the creature which was still trying to figure out what just happened. Zer0 plunged his katana into the tree, (it turned out to be its stomach), and used it as a handhold.

The tree which was now completely pissed off at having a sword plunged in its gut. The tree swung its hand and knocked Zer0 away.

His last thought before Zer0 collided with another tree was "oh shit…" Then everything went black.

**And note to self, don't attack giant walking trees, hurrr**

Axton and Salvador on the opposite were very, very lost and confused. They had absolutely no idea where they were going (How much more lost could they get?) and they actually were walking in the complete opposite direction that Zero and Maya had been going, and there was still no response through their echo devices.

"Oh great," Axton groaned as he echoed Maya and Zero unsuccessfully for the fifteenth time, "We are so screwed, we are probably going to die out here, and Roland is probably going to die too!" Salvador didn't say anything; in fact he was too exhausted to care anymore.

"Why oh why did I trip Zer0?" Axton muttered angry at himself.

"Wait, what?" Salvador growled suddenly alert. Axton laughed nervously, "I…uh…sort of tripped Zer0… at the fast travel station…" Axton trailed off knowing he was dead.

The gunzerker's face grew into a mask of anger, "are you serious little bitch?! You got us into this mess? I am going to tear you apart!" and with that Axton was running like hell with Salvador literally intending to rip Axton apart with his bare hands

For probably half an hour Salvador chased Axton through the woods, both of them not thinking to use their guns, though it was probably a bad idea to shoot each other in this place anyways.

In half an hour from running blindly through bushes, vines, whatever you can think of, Axton was scratched, bruised, bloody and very sweaty. Salvador though was quite the opposite chasing Axton down more like a machine.

Then as they were running, Axton began to find that the trees and undergrowth were thinning out more, and the dying sunlight was quite shocking to see After the darkness of those woods.

He came to a sudden halt near the edge of the forest, and Salvador came crashing through the undergrowth and collided with the commando at full speed.

Axton shouted as the two vault hunters went tumbling in a mess down to the ground Salvador lying stunned on top of Axton who was face down in a puddle of partially dry mud.

Though Axton was just glad that it was Salvador, and not the slab of muscles, Brick chasing him.

"You are still going to kill me right?" Axton muttered still face down. Salvador pushed himself off of his companion and nodded, "you said it buddy." And picked Axton up, who at this point was even going to try to run or block any punches, and punched him on the jaw. Very, very, hard.

The commando fell on the ground clutching his jaw and cursing non-stop, while Salvador just patted him on the shoulder. The gunzerker was about to say something when he just noticed why Axton had stopped running.

On the edge of the forest line was a huge open rolling grass plain, the sun was almost set creating a beautiful golden hue. But what had made Salvador stop was the horde of strange short and tall twisted creatures that were pulling and chopping down large amounts of trees.

Axton was still in pain and cursing, but luckily none of the creatures, who were way too loud, noticed the two vault hunters standing in the edge of the trees.

Salvador crouched down and nudged Axton, "shut up Axton, because I think we have company." That's why I stopped running you fucking idiot!" The commando hissed back his jaw clenched.

Salvador didn't answer he was too intent upon the scene in front of them. Then as darkness began to fall, since the vault hunters had no desire to alert the creatures by leaving, there was a disturbance.

There was screeching and shouting and disorganization all over and the creatures seemed to form a disorganized yammering circle around one large creature which Axton assumed to be their leader.

The two vault hunters couldn't make anything out except snippets of, "they are not to be eaten!" And "yeah, why can't we have some real meats? They look fresh."

The rest sort of went out of control and impossible to make out as the entire group of creatures broke into a fight and all tore into one of their own in a panicked mess.

The vault hunters shuddered and exchanged horrified looks with each other. "I think these things are much worse than bandits... Time to leave!" And with that, Axton and Salvador took off into the woods not waiting to see what would happen, and they were stumbling in the pitch dark not even sure of what they were doing.

Behind them, the sounds of whinnies and pained screeches of combat drifted through the air, and without realizing it, two pairs of little footsteps could be heard running behind and the sound of a shouting creature voicing threats and curses.


	4. The H0bbits

**here is chapter four! I don't know why but I wanted to make it so that Axton is just plagued by bad luck! I still need a title idea!**

**oh and I probably should have mentioned that I couldn't remember much about the scene in Lord of the Rings the Two Towers where the Orcs are chopping down that section of forest and Merry and Pippin escape. So I just kept it vague! :P**

In the pitch dark forest, Axton and Salvador had no idea where they were running, though they were so freaked out, they almost forgot to use their guns. Finally at some point Axton tripped on a root and fell down face first, Salvador again falling on top of him.

This would have been normally really comical, but in this situation, it definitely wasn't. Out of the four vault hunters the only one laughing would have been Zer0. Which made Axton relieved that Zer0 and Maya weren't there.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Axton shouted at Salvador, "am I cursed or something?!" Obviously Salvador thought that they had gone far enough because Axton then heard an answering snore. And he knew that once Salvador fell asleep, he could not be woken up for a long time.

Axton was in the midst of trying to roll Salvador off him muttering and cursing when suddenly a very surprised shout from some one very small sounded out and next thing that happened two small bodies tripped over Axton's head and went tumbling into the bushes. Axton groaned and slammed his face down in the dirt several times, his head was now aching from being stepped on by very hairy small feet.

Then he heard the last sound he wanted to hear, the creature that came from the group near the edge of he forest. Axton had no idea what he was facing, and hoped he wouldn't need Salvador's help. The people that had tripped over Axton where now huddled in the bush even more frightened by this strange newcomer.  
Axton finally pushed Salvador off and stood up to meet this loud creature. Then commando pulled out his machine gun and braced himself, though knowing he'd probably faced worse things on Pandora before. The creature burst out of the bushes snorting and panting heavily, a very crude and twisted sword in its hands.

Then it's eyes lit up when it saw Axton, who probably looked delicious. Before the creature could do anything, Axton sprayed the thing with his machine gun. The creature fell screaming to the ground then after a series of spasms grew still. Axton spat at the body, though he was surprised at how easily this thing went down. He heard a whimper behind him. The commando whipped around, gun aimed at what he realized were kids. Or at least he thought.

In the dim lighting Axton could see that they were very, and what seemed unnaturally short. They both had brown short curly hair and had wide hairy bare feet. "Don't kill us, please don't kill us!" One of them pleaded him. At this point, Axton was so confused that he had no idea whether he should kill them or not.

Axton lowered his gun feeling awkward, "um...hi...sorry 'bout that... I seriously have no idea what's going on here..." The two little midgets didn't move. The commando put his gun away. "Hi, I'm Axton." He held out his hand. The same person that had pleaded to him got up, though his partner, who was glaring at the newcomer hissed, "Pippin, get away from him!"  
The one Axton assumed to be Pippin came up looking relieved, "hi, I'm Pippin, thanks for saving us from that Orc." Pippin shook Axton's hand, and the vault hunter raised his eyebrows, "Orc?"

Then it hit him. They didn't need Jack to tell them where they were, Axton knew right away. "Oh shit..." He muttered. Pippin backed up a bit, "what?" Axton waved his hand, "don't worry this doesn't concern you. Not at all..."

Pippin's companion stood up realizing that the danger had passed, though he was just as confused as the vault hunter. He held his hand out. "Hello, I'm Merry." Axton shook Merry's hand, though both Merry and Pippin were so short they had to reach high up. That was when Salvador's snoring stopped and he yawned suddenly. And Axton motioned over to his friend, "and there is my sleeping buddy Salvador."

"Hey what?" Salvador mumbled then he looked up to see Merry and Pippin, who were still shorter than Salvador but quite similar. Merry and Pippin introduced themselves to Salvador who seemed happy that there was a person, who wasn't a mutant midget phsyco, shorter than him. "So why are you so..." Axton made motions with his hands. "Short?" Pippin finished. "Why we're hobbits from the Shire, right now we are actually far away, in Fangorn Forest."  
That explained their size.  
Axton was starting to remember what he had heard about this place, he was very worried. The commando turned to Salvador, and said, "hey Salvador? I need to have a word with you." Axton turned to the two hobbits, who were now extremely curious by these two strangers. "Will you two wait here just a bit, please?" The two hobbits exchanged looks, and shrugged, "sure, you might want our help anyways, since we can tell you are not from here."

Axton pulled Salvador to the side a little ways away, "hey Salvador, I think I know where Jack has transported us." Salvador snapped his head up, "I think we are In a place called Middle earth, though the planet has no name." Axton remembered hearing about it shortly before he left for Pandora to find the vault, and at the moment, there was a full war going on. Though it was with earlier technology, not with guns.

"Seriously dude? We aren't on Pandora anymore?!" Axton cringed at Salvador's anger knowing that he was mostly to blame for the vault hunters predicament. "We really need to find Zer0 and Maya, like now!" Salvador shouted. "Um... Who? Pippin piped up looking nervous.

Axton never got to answer because as soon as he opened his mouth, a massive, tree, no, creature tree thing, crashed through the undergrowth.

Merry and Pippin yelped in fear and Axton out of reflex rolled out of its path and almost deployed his sabre turret when he barely, just barely, discerned two struggling figures clutched in the creatures large hands. Zer0 and Maya!


	5. The Deal

**So, the vault hunters ended up worlds away on another planet, most of it being Axton's fault. They were completely separated, and now Axton's day is going to get worse now that he found Maya and Zer0.**

**And they met hobbits! Yay! Woo hoo!**

**Ahh, poor Axton.**

**and I STILL need title ideas! Please!**

Axton froze, not knowing if it was from fear or that fact that he didn't want to shoot his friends, either way, he was screwed. The tree grunted surprised in a very human-like way as it noticed Axton aiming his machine gun at it. Merry and Pippin screamed, and took off into the trees. Axton turned around glaring at them, and shouted, "OH! AND THANKS FOR HELPING US YOU LITTLE SCRAWNY ASSHOLES! COME BACK HERE AND FACE THIS THING LIKE REAL MEN!"

There was no answer, so much for that.

Next thing he knew the tree was talking to him, yes talking. "Why'd you people have to do that? I was having a nice dream and all of a sudden, I'm getting woken up from yelling and kicking then I got stabbed in the gut! That hurt you know!"

The tree was sounding very confused and unhappy and was looking rather dejected as it revealed Zer0's katana sticking halfway where its stomach would be. Axton noticed too that the tree talked very slowly and had a deep male's voice. That settled one thing, the tree was a he.

"Go to hell you stupid bastard!" Maya shouted at the tree, "Just put me down and we will not hurt you!" Then there was Zer0, quietly trying to calm Maya down, "Maya calm down, this is really not worth it, my ribs hurt."

"Well why'd you stab this Godamn tree then? No duh your ribs hurt! What if I stabbed you, I don't think you would be very happy at all!" The tree seemed to stiffen in anger, "I told already, I am not a tree! I am an ent! Nobody cares for the woods anymore…" The ent seemed to be sniffling, his anger gone just as fast as it came.

Axton looked over at Salvador who made a cuckoo sign. Axton smiled. "Yeah!" Maya cut in angrily, "I've had to listen to this guy for an hour! Complaining and talking and what not! I can't even do anything; my arms are fucking pinned to my side! A whole fucking hour!"

Axton snickered in response, knowing that he was probably going to be bitch slapped as soon as Maya got down. But he still felt bad for her. Axton looked up at the ent and asked, "So, do you have a name?" The ent looked thoughtful, "Yes, I have many names, but you can call me Treebeard."

Great this ent had a name.

"Axton then introduced the group, "Well, I'm Axton, beside me is Salvador, the guy that stabbed you in the gut is called Zer0." "Hi, my apologies, for stabbing you" Zer0 said quietly and very strained for having his ribs crushed by Treebeard. The commando grinned, though he knew Maya would kill him and take all his loot for this, if they got back to Pandora, "And the other one you're holding, the bitchy one is Maya." "Hey you stupid asshole! Come up here and say that to my face!" Zer0 just sighed and displayed an angry face over his visor.

Treebeard stared at the assassin, weirded out by the bright hologram. "So um...Treebeard," Axton began, "Could you put my friends down? They won't hurt you."

But They may hurt me…really badly… Axton thought biting his lip nervously.

"Oh!" Treebeard suddenly seemed to realize that he had been hurting the two vault hunters and slowly set them down. Maya had a look of business on her face and her eyes were flashing. Axton knew he had it coming. Maya didn't even say anything but she marched over and slapped Axton across the face, again, really hard.

Axton managed a pained smile, his eyes watering, "Hehe…good times, hey Maya?" Maya just smiled sweetly and patted him on the back like Salvador did. Axton could feel a cut that formed on his face, bleeding, and his jaw still throbbed. Treebeard, who knew that these people where obviously not from Middle Earth or any surrounding places, asked them out of curiosity, "Now that we have met, where are you from? For I have wandered many dark places and seen many strange things but none of the likes of you four."

Maya took it upon herself to explain her other companions, "well, we came from another planet," She reworded her phrase at Treebeard's blank look, "Planet like the place you are on. Where we came from, it was called Pandora, and..."

This was going to be really hard.

Maya Just cut to the point, "Well I'm a Siren, a sort of witch, you could say..." Maya hoped that Treebeard knew what a witch was, and to her relief he did seem to know. "Zer0 is an assassin... I don't know much more..." Zer0 just stood there silently with three dots flashing red over his visor.

"Right, and Axton, the loud stupid jerk here," she motioned to him earning an embarrassed glare, Maya just smiled slyly. "Axton is a human basically." and Salvador is our gunzerker, also a human."

"Oh and guns are these things," Axton waved his machine gun in the air. Treebeard never said anything. In fact, the four vault hunters never got a response because Treebeard literally fell asleep on them. Maya sighed, "okay, we're all back together, so I say we ditch this freakshow." Everyone else nodded but Zer0 who said, "I need my sword."

Before Maya could say anything, Zer0 had leapt away and was already climbing up Treebeard's leg. Zero was then level with his sword in seconds. In one swift movement, the assassin pulled it out of the snoring ent and was down just as swiftly. The only response Zer0 had elicited from Treebeard was a snort, but other Than that, the ent never woke up, and the vault hunters were booking it down in the direction Axton and Salvador had come from.

At some point in all the running, the group had to stop to rest. They were exhausted, and Zer0 had something wrong with his ribs on account of the ent holding him too tightly preventing him from being able to walk properly. "My side hurts." Zer0 said quietly, Maya snorted, "well, when you stab some one in the gut I'd assume they'll be really pissed off at you!" "I had to help, you were trapped." Maya rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. She knew better than to argue pointlessly at this time.

At some later point, the vault hunters had to stop, they were exhausted, and they realized that they must have stayed up the whole night too, because weak morning sunlight was already filtering slightly through the treetops. Actually it was partially Axton, and mostly Zer0, that made them stop.

"Wow! Maya, I am so tired!"

"Oh?"

"When do we get to the edge of this forest?"

"Axton shut up and keep walking."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Can we stop?

"No."

"My ankle hurts."

"You've had worse."

"Please?"

And this went on for half an hour, between Axton and Maya.

As a result, Maya was getting increasingly hot and frustrated, the clouds of Mosquitos making everything worse. Until Zer0 spoke up, "Maya, my ribs hurt, I can't go on." And Zer0 sat down on the spot, literally forcing the group to stop. Though Maya was convinced that Zer0 just wanted to piss her off. She threw her arms up in the air, "fine, I'll look at your wounds Zer0, and the rest of you sleep!"

"Yay!" And Axton threw himself onto the ground, everyone ignored him. And Maya had to check Zer0's ribs since she had healing abilities with her powers. "It looks like the ent just put a couple of your ribs out if place." Maya observed. "I could probably fix that."

When she finished healing Zer0, Maya realized she was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. She said to Zer0, "you can keep watch, I'm going to sleep." She didn't wait since as far as she knew, Zer0 didn't sleep, or at least she hadn't seen him sleep before. Though it was hard to tell.

Maya flopped down on the dirt, and just as her eyes closed Jack's voice came through the echo's waking everyone up, "great." Maya groaned.

"Hey there vault hunters! So everybody is back together now, (hooray! Claps and cheers!) and I decided I'll tell you the deal. So, you hopefully figured out that you aren't on Pandora anymore, and I've made a fast travel station. Only one though. You have to find it, simple right?

Now if you die, I'll kill Roland and everyone in Sanctuary. But if you make it, I'll give you a chance. Hehe... And I even sent you some vending machines down, (there were never any). now goodbye.

Oh and the fast travel station is In a volcano."

Great. The only way to get back was to go and climb up a blasted volcano. The vault hunters exchanged glances, "nice. Who's up for a volcano climbing?" Nobody replied.

This was just fabulous, fabulous!


	6. Assassin Meets Elf

The vault hunters emerged onto the wide plain that Axton and Salvador had found earlier, and stood blinking in the sunlight after the darkness of the woods. "So now what?" The ground was torn up and bloody from a recent fight. Probably the one Axton and Salvador ran away from. In front of them a little ways off there was a smoking stinking pile of burned bodies.

There were spear heads with strange horrid beasts heads logged on them. "Great," Maya muttered, "this planet is just another bandit ville.  
" At least it isn't a shit hole." Salvador countered. He had a point there. Maya looked to the group about to say something when Zer0 was gone. And of course there he was at the pile of bodies, examining the corpses and nobody even saw him leave.

Maya sighed she hated it when Zer0 did that. "Um Zer0? Mabey we should stick together, because we have no idea what this place is like! It could be worse than Pandora!" Axton who had been bored, and was annoyed at Zer0 said, "man, if only something would happen to that guy!"

At that same moment there was a rush of air and a large arrow peirced the ground just about impaling Zer0 in the foot.

Maya whipped around, "seriously Axton?! Are you trying to jinx us? just shut up or you'll get us all killed!"

"I never did anything!"

Maya was just running to Zer0's aid when something flashed at the edge of her vision, something metal, and sharp.

Zer0 leapt away startled, an exclamation mark over his faceplate. He rolled away going into deception mode. And there on a rise he saw a man with straight blonde hair dressed in very outdated armour that appeared to be medieval. The man was holding a graceful bow in his hands, and even his stance was graceful. The wind swept his Gray cloth cape around.

Zer0 smiled, though it wouldn't be seen, this was going to be easy. Zer0 left his sniper rifle alone and drew his katana, the man had shot another arrow at Zer0's decoy but the arrow went through it. Zer0 was ready, he revealed his true self as he ran at the man. There was no time for the man to shoot his bow so he dropped it, and with an impressive speed drew two curved knives.

The man leapt to meet Zer0 shouting a war cry. Zer0 blocked the blow and rolled around the man meaning to stab him in the back but the man was just as swift.

Zer0 knew he could end it but this was just too fun for him. Zer0's blade was blocked with a mettalic clang, and the man leapt back swiftly. Zer0 gracefully rolled away and he and the man circled each other, waiting for one to make the move.

Zer0 leapt at the man and dived around him trying to slice open his neck but the man parried his blow with one blade and swung with the other leaving a slice on the Assassin's arm. The blade was sharp and cut through Zer0's sneaking suit easily. Zer0 looked down swiftly to see blood welling up out of the cut. It was nothing though, the vault hunter had dealt with worse.

Zer0 toyed with the man for a little bit slipping in and out of deception confusing the man immensely. Finally Zer0 waited till the last moment and let his decoy stand still as in defeat, "an assassin never dies!" He muttered.

The man obviously thinking that he won finally, yelled in triumph and sliced Zer0 across the ribs, but the image wavered and disapeared. "How hilarious, you have just set off my trap card, prepare to be vanquished." Zer0 taunted the man.

The man was taken aback and slightly frightened by this new enemy assaulting him. "Who are you?" What witchery is this that you can do this!" The man shouted. "Zer0 had once again disapeared, then he had knocked the man to the ground, kicking his weapons away.

Now the man was at his mercy. The wind blew strongly, and to Zer0's confusion, he saw that behind his hair, the man, or was he perhaps? Had pointed ears. Zer0 shook his confusion away, and prepared to deal the death blow.

"striking from nowhere, killing with accuracy, this is who I am." He mocked aiming his sword.

"Zer0 stop!" Maya's voice rang out. Still holding his katana by the mans neck, who stared at Zer0 with wide eyes. Though it was hard to tell if the man was pissed off or just scared. The assassin turned to see Maya running towards him. "Just stop! These people can help us. So just put your blade away and let this man up."

Zer0 unwillingly backed down, an angry face displayed over his visor. but he sheathed his sword saying, "that was a fine fight, I say that due to your skill, not because I won."

It was true, Zer0 had decided this man was worthy of his respect, for he had fought the assassin well. "Who are you?" The man asked again, warily getting up. Maya introduced them, "my name is Maya, my friend there is Zer0. Zer0 inclined his head.

"Keep moving on moving buddy."

Zer0 turned to face Axton and Salvador leading three more people over, their guns pointed at the newcomers backs. One was a man with long black hair and a beard, he was tall and surprisingly handsome, though Zer0 was still taller, another was short and stocky like Salvador, and the other one was an old man dressed in white, carrying a graceful staff.

All of them had middle age weapons and armour. "So," Maya began, "now that we are all here. Do you mind introducing yourselves?" The Siren addressed their captives, Zer0 didn't trust the blonde one, and the short man with the axe gripped it tightly eyes flicking back and forth nervously. The other two stood defiantly, and Zer0 had a feeling not to underestimate the old man.

One of them stepped forward, "our apologies for attacking you," he seemed to be the leader of this group and seemed to respect Maya, which was a wise thing. "My name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn."

he motioned to the short man who was now glaring at Zer0, "this is Glimli son of Gloin,"

and then the blonde haired man, "and Legolas of Mirkwood."

The vault hunters stared at each other, "strange customs no?" Salvador muttered. Strange customs indeed. Maya turned to the old man, "and you?"

"My name is Gandalf or the white wizard as some call me."  
Wizards? Now what next?

Maya raised her eyebrows, "I thought wizards were a myth. Is there anything strange we should know about the rest of you?" The one Gimli spoke out, gruffly, " best not tell them, you saw what they did."

" no it doesn't matter," Aragorn spoke out, just as concerned, though he wasn't eager to test Maya's patience after she had Phase locked Gimli in the air and threatened to shoot his head off if Gandalf made any move to attack. "I am a man like you are, Legolas here is an elf, and Gimli is a Dwarf."

Elves, dwarfs, magic, and wizards? This was completely new to the vault hunters, though wizards could be similar to sirens.

"Aragorn gestured at Maya, "may I ask, what you each are and where you are from?"

Again this would be hard, but Maya would have to give it a try. Sensing the threat had passed the vault hunters joined in a group once again, and Maya couldn't help noticing that the other four people by them were casting constant glances at Zer0, curious about the assassin that defeated Legolas so easily.

Maya started, "well it's sort of long and complicated, and you wouldn't understand most of this, but by accident, we came from another planet, and a planet is the place you are on. There are more, and they are huge." Maya could see this went right over these people's heads, but unlike Treebeard, they were staring at her in silent fascination.

"and, I won't bother explaining all that because it would take years. Now, I'm a siren, a sort of witch you could say. Axton beside me here is a human and ex-sergeant in the Dahl military force, which won't be bothered explaining, Zer0 in the suit here is our assassin, and Salvador the short guy is our gunzerker... And guns are the lethal force that you just witnessed."

Gandalf was thoughtfully staring at Maya, "you certainly posses much power, more than I have seen. Tell me, what did your assassin do there, how had he bested Legolas?" The elf stood proudly and stared at Zer0. Though Legolas was curious about this new group, to Zer0 he thought it was a challenge and he stared back at Legolas, who refused to look away.

Maya looked over at Zer0 sighing, she elbowed him in the side hissing, "do you want to antagonize them?" Zer0 stopped. "Anyways, Zer0 here has a skill, it isn't magical, but he disappears for a space of time and creates a decoy of himself." "Interesting..." Gandalf nodded slowly.

"So, we need help with something," Axton began, "we need to get back to where we came from, and we were hoping to find some people who could assist us." "Anything to help you." Gimli said hastily. "Our enemy told us of a volcano. That's where we can go to get back."

"Mordor..." Gimli breathed.

"We would be glad to direct you but, this place you need to go is infested by evil."

"Great, a challenge!" Salvador said smiling

Aragorn shook his head, "I would not go there if I were you. Even armed as you are, it would be suicide." "Are you saying that we couldn't handle it?" Salvador muttered threatiningly. "No not at all!" Aragorn said his eyes flashing nervously at Salvador. "It's not that at all. I can see that you are completely equipped, but we are in the middle of a war with Mordor, and the place is full of evil twisted creatures called orcs and goblins."

"Then there is Sauron and the black riders..." Gimli added.  
"Okay... I don't think I want to know..." Axton muttered. "Is there somewhere safe we can go to?"

" You could accompany us to Rohan, but unfortunately, we are in haste and we only have two horses. And it's a long walk of many days." Aragorn offered. Salvador laughed, "where we come from we don't use horses anyways."

"So, you're saying there is a mass war happening and it's impossible for us to get to this Mordor?" Maya groaned in disbelief. "Aye." Gimli confirmed.

"Will you point us towards the nearest town?" Aragorn pointed in a direction, "carefull, it's a long way and the plains of Rohan are filled with Orcs and other dangerous creatures. Careful." The vault hunters watched the group leave swiftly towards a rise where three armoured horses waited restlessly.

"I have a feeling that we'll be seeing these people soon again." Axton muttered. The rest of the group agreed. And all made a conscious descision it was time to leave and swiftly jogged in the same direction that Aragorn pointed. The same direction that the warrior and his friends were going.


	7. Uncertain Em0ti0ns

Maya, Salvador, Zer0, and Axton ran for about three days straight. They had no idea how, since they had no food, and water, but they plains had been quite featureless and rolling. Nothing special, the occasional rock outcropping and bush. But not much else.

On the fourth Morning they were finally too exhausted and all agreed to rest. They found a outcropping with rocks that formed a natural wall, and flopped down breathing heavily. Except for Zer0 who was always tireless and never seemed hungry.

"Man! I am so tired Axton complained. "Are we there yet?"

Axton?

"Yeah?"

"Please don't say that again."

"Why?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

"No."

That shut Axton up, since he didn't want to push it with Maya anymore. And she didn't give out light threats.

Almost right away, everyone fell asleep except for Zer0 who was left to keep watch. Zer0 hadn't thought of this before, but he began to suspect they were being watched.

But by what? There was no moon out, in fact there hadn't been the past few nights making visibility poor. And nothing happened to the vault hunters making them suspect that Aragorn had been lying back there.

On Pandora you couldn't make it an hour without trouble it seemed. This was a sort of relief, but all the vault hunters agreed on one thing, they were starting to miss the constant action and fear of being attacked.

Zer0 was especially bored with nothing to do but running for three days straight.

Zer0 watched in the distance as the sun rose over the grassy plains.

The sunrise was sure different than Pandora's sunrise, and Zer0 realized he ws so bored, that his mind was starting to drift into a haze. Because of that, he missed the black figures moving slowly towards the four vault hunters in the distance.

Before he knew it, Zer0 fell asleep.

Maya woke up from her place to see Zer0 sitting near her on a rock. The sun was shining brightly already to the west but she was still so tired. Axton and Salvador were passed out on the ground sound asleep.

They were not going to wake up for a long time.

"Zer0?" Maya mumbled.

No answer

Maya pushed herself up. "Zer0?"

Nothing, the assassin never moved.

Maya walked around and saw three z's over his helmet. He was sleeping, actually sleeping. Instead of being annoyed, Maya stood there fascinated, for some reason.

She then began to wonder about his past. Where did the assassin come from? Was he a human? Why did he wear a mask?

All these things spun around in her head until she made up a decision, though it was a terrible idea, a very stupid idea.

Maya reached her hands towards the mask, her brain telling her to freaking stop, but she felt a sort of thrill.

The siren's hand went right through him. Shit.

Maya suddenly was punched in the gut, making her gasp, she fell to the ground from the force and Zer0 appeared holding his blade point up to her throat. Maya stared up at him her gut twisting into knots, not because she was facing possible death, but because...she willed it away.

"Don't" was the single word Zer0 spoke, he then sheathed his sword and held out his hand. Maya stared at Zer0's hand realizing that for the first time, her cheeks were going red.

She took his hand and got up. She looked away nervously as he stared silently at her, "um...sorry..." "Apology accepted."

Zer0 sat back down on the rock and continued to stare out at the rolling plains. Axton and Salvador were still asleep, and Maya sighed, her stomach was hurting now.

Though she wasn't sure what it was from.

Maya lay back down exhausted but as she closed her eyes she felt restlessness nagging at her. Her mind going in circles, she had never felt this before, especially around Zer0. Eventually she fell asleep but her dreams were confusing and full of emotion.

Zer0 felt quite the same, though he had an easier time willing it away.

Stop it, you are an assassin. Is all he repeated to himself.

He remembered as he watched Maya standing in front of him. That was what woke him up.

He then realized she was reaching for his helmet. He would never let anyone see his true identity. Ever.

Zer0 shifted trying to still his whirling thoughts. This was the first time he felt like this. How? He had no clue. Bored, Zer0 looked at the sun seeing it was setting again. They would have to leave soon.

Zer0 watched his companions. Axton was snoring, which was irritating, Salvador was completely still, he could probably be dead. And Maya, Zer0 watched her she twitched in her sleep. Then he felt a strange surge of protectiveness? Over her. Darkness had almost fallen and finally Axton and Salvador stirred.

Yawning they got up looking in the darkness.

"Did we sleep for long?" Zer0 nodded, Snapped out of his trance. "Darkness falls, we must leave soon, there could be many dangers." Axton yawned, "hey Zer0, You mind waking up Maya?" Zer0 looked away reluctantly, "why?"

"We'll duh she'll probably kill me."

He had a point.

Zer0 stood up and put his hand on her shoulder, Maya shot up a with a wild look in her eyes, then their eyes met. They both looked away.

Unfortunately Axton and Salvador both noticed, and Salvador blinked twice, to confirm he wasn't dreaming. Axton for some reason was disappointed. Maya stood up quickly brushing her pants off hastily finding that her face was turning red.

Zer0 just ignored her,

and she ignored him.

Once again the vault hunters started to running and in the darkness silent long shapes followed behind the unaware vault hunters, hungry for blood and curious by these odd newcomers.

**Uh-Oh! **

**I had no plans to put any sort of romance in there, it just sorta happened...**

**Oh well. :P**


	8. Ambush

**So here's chapter 8, I found I had a lot of memory gaps involving Lord of the Rings. So if there is anything to point out, please tell me!**

**Thanks Peachcandy for the Book titles! And thanks for the follow too! :)**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! **

Maya ran not far behind Zer0, Axton and Salvador a little ways behind. Zer0 was the most accustomed to running.

After six days, the vault hunters began to notice signs of life here and there, but only smoking houses and villages. Still burning from days ago. There were even burned out small farms and rotting animals. Though only a few.

At one village, the vault hunters stopped to examine the place.

There were dead bodies everywhere.

Some were partially burned and others were brutally hacked up. Flies and other scavengers buzzed all over, and every house was sacked. Axton stared at the bodies in disgust wondering what kind of people did this.

They were gone of course and the damage they did, didn't make them much different than bandits.

The vault hunters didn't stay long since they wanted to be moving off already, Salvador was beginning to get the creeps here and wanted to go.

Though no one mentioned it, the vault hunters were all starting to suspect that they were for sure being followed. On the night of the seventh day they stopped in a little bowl filled with bushes.

Zero kept watch again since he wasn't tired and was feeling restless. Axton and Salvador crashed immediately, but Maya was restless. She walked over by Zer0 and stood silently nearby watching the moon.

"I wonder if we'll ever get back to Pandora?" Maya asked suddenly. Zer0 looked over and was silent before muttering, "I don't know..."

Maya watched the assassin for a while. She wanted to ask him dozens of questions knowing that he never would tell her anyways. She almost did but felt too nervous to say much.

"I'm going to sleep." Maya abruptly turned around feeling awkward and tried to lay down a forget about him and go to sleep. It didn't work well, she drifted in and out of sleep until when the moon was at its high point she sat up feeling too restless. Maya just watched the sky for a very long time to when the moon was low.

suddenly she heard a soft hiss. Right away she was alert from past experience on Pandora, she pulled out her SMG and aimed it into the darkness. Zer0 had heard it too because he was up right away, sniper rifle at the ready, and an exclamation mark glowing over his helmet.

Maya, still scanning the area, nudged Axton and Salvador awake shushing them and motioning to her gun and out towards where Ashe heard the hiss.

They both seemed to understand.

Now the vault hunters were wide awake in tense waiting. They heard a snuffling nearby, and a sort of strange growl.

Maya saw it first. A huge four legged creature roared savagely and leapt at her. in the darkness she glinted long bared teeth and black eyes.

Maya phase locked it in the air gasping in surprise. The thing struggled a moment before she shot it in the head three times killing it. The vault hunters examined the body when the siren dropped it.

It reminded them of a Hyena in some way, and it also had a collar around its neck. That couldn't be good.

The vault hunters were jolted when the heard roars and growls a little ways off. "Worse than Skags?" Axton smiled.

They made out sleek shapes running over the hills towards the hunters. Zer0,who most likely had the best visibility, raised his sniper rifle and took shots.

Because the sniper rifle was incendiary, the creatures Zer0 hit lit on fire almost instantly. It was almost a terrible sound to hear. Every shot the assassin took was deadly accurate, and Maya just about dazed off as she watched him.

Zer0 finally put his sniper rifle away when the beasts were too close and took out his revolver and katana. Axton deployed his sabre turret for cover, then all hell broke loose.

The first of the creatures reached them. One leapt for Zer0, and Maya glimpsed what the people here called an Orc, riding on its back swinging a crude sword around.

The Orc was a terrible twisted creature, rage and bloodlust shone in its eyes. It wore ragged armour with spikes on the shoulder pads, and though it had no shield, Maya knew that it could be seriously underestimated.

Unfortunately, the creature made the same mistake as everything else. The image of Zer0 wavered and disappeared to show him perched upon the four legged beast's back.

The assassin wrapped his arm around the screaming orcs neck restraining it, and with one swift movement, Zer0 brought the revolver up to the monsters head and fired, blowing brains and black blood all over.

Zer0 leapt off the back of the creature, which tried to catch the assassin in the air and pull him down but missed. Zer0 rolled out of the way as bullets made Swiss cheese (heh, swiss cheese...i have no clue...)out of the creature. But there were more.

Maya caught glimpses of Salvador gunzerking with a machine gun and shotgun at the creatures. When they got to close he would literally just punch them in the face making them leap back yelping.

Maya even witnessed the short man tear the limbs off a screaming orc.

Though she tried not to look too much.

Axton's sabre turret came with a lot of help. It was good because it had unlimited ammo too. And provided extra cover to anyone who needed the help. The creatures were surprisingly easy to kill. And it turned out that the vault hunters never had to kill them all.

It was partly because the creatures were so terrified of this new enemy, but also because at some point as the sun was rising shedding weak light across the land, the vault hunters began to hear the pounding of hooves in the distance.

There was a war cry and suddenly a huge spear impaled the neck of the beast, that Maya had phase locked and was about to shoot, with deadly accuracy, partially shocking her. "Hey! That was my kill!" Maya shouted dropping the beast, then shooting its terrified rider.

Then Maya stopped, there were horse men, all clad in green armour with depictions of a running horse, charging straight at the vault hunters carrying long spears.

"Hey guys...you should look at this." Everyone turned their heads eyes widening, except of Zer0 of course. The remaining attackers saw the men charging and hastily retreated, the Orcs casting terrified glances at Axton's sabre turret, and Zer0.

The vault hunters moved in closer together watching the men. Zer0 had his sniper rifle half raised ready to take out anyone should they be a threat.

In a short amount of time, the horses completely surrounded the four, there was no possible escape.

All the men's spears were pointed at the vault hunters, and the men looked even afraid of these newcomers.

One man with a horse tail on his helmet mounted on a horse rode up. He obviously commanded this group And held high status.

"Strangers, what business do you have In the Riddermark."

No one said a word. The man sighed looking impatient, "speak quickly now, or we'll make short work of you."

The vault hunters exchanged glances, it was that or die. And dying wasn't really an option for them.

Nobody spoke, like usual, leaving Maya to speak for them. "Hi, okay, so...Wow...we have no idea what we are doing. I seriously don't know how to explain this. But we are very, very lost." The man raised his eyebrows at them and Maya continued.

"So, we came from a long ways away, very far. Trust me you won't understand. And my friends and I got sort of accidentally transported here. We just needed to find some town or settlement because we were stuck in the middle of some forest."

"So why here? And how would you know where to go?"

Maya shrugged, "it was closer, by the sounds of it, and we don't know where we are going, a man named Aragorn, pointed us towards A place he called Rohan...so we've been running for the past seven days trying to find a place to go for safety."

The man looked thoughtful, "was this Aragorn traveling with a dwarf and an elf?" The vault hunters nodded. "Then you are a friend of his?" Maya raised her eyebrows, seriously? She hardly knew the guy, "nah, we sorta fought with them, won and talked a bit, got some directions and yeah..." The horse men exchanged worried glances. "What are your names?" The man asked.

Maya introduced them, "so, I'm Maya, the guy behind me with the suit is Zer0, the short guy's Salvador, and beside me is Axton."

"You've got strange names."

"You have strange customs." Zer0 spoke quietly causing the men to jump.

The man got down from is horse and took off his helmet, in response, the men around the vault hunters raised their spears. "My name is Eomer, son of Theodwen."

Though there was no reason to trust these people, for some reason Eomer trusted them, but his eyes flicking to Zer0 and back showed evidence that he was frightened by the assassin.

Though it was well that he was afraid.

"So, Eomer," Axton began, "I'd like to know where we can find some safety or something, because we really need a safe place." He gestured at the beasts bodies piled around them.

"Those were wargs." Eomer informed them, then he continued."You do look like you could use help. But I cannot allow you into the kings lands without his permission."

"Aww! This sort of shit?!" Salvador suddenly groaned. Maya turned around and hissed, "shut he hell up!" Salvador did.

"anyways, why?" Eomer shook his head. "I can't let you, it's law." Maya inwardly groaned. This was going to be hard. "Um...so should we..." Maya trailed off as she saw something out of the corner of her eyes then it was gone.

Eomer was staring at the Siren curiously. He was about to say something when suddenly a slim digistructed blade appeared pressed against his throat and Zer0 pulled him back and away from the other horsemen.

Crap.

There was a brief panic before the riders became organized and now their spear points were inches from the vault hunters faces. Everything happened so quickly that Maya was speechless before she registered anything. "Zer0," Maya called, what are you doing? Put your sword away! Please..."

Zer0 stared steadily at the siren. And Maya understood that being an assassin, Zer0 would do anything he had to, to get whatever he needed, even threatening death. At least the vault hunters had shields, Maya thought. So if it came to a fight, the vault hunters had a space of time to get into the open.  
Maya could see Salvador sizing up a very nervous and pale man, no doubt, and Axton was ready to redeploy his sabre turret.

A fight was moments away.

There was only one way to get what they needed. "We don't want to hurt any of you, and we certainly didn't plan this. But we are desperate and will kill if we have to." Maya threatened.

Eomer's eyes widened, Zer0 was mute as ever, and as he watched Maya his mind started to drift off, causing him to relax his tight grip.

Eomer sensed the change and twisted in the assassin's grip. Zer0 was jolted out of a haze and he retightened his grip pressing his sword harder against Eomer's neck. leaving Eomer immobile and helpless.

Maya continued, "as desperate as we are, we will not hesitate to hurt you, and you would not best us. If you're wise, you'll let us through and tell us where to go." The plains were silent, wind blew across them and over the tense warriors as the vault hunters waited for an answer.

It seemed to take hours, but Eomer finally agreed, "then go and let me be."

It was settled. Zer0 released the man and Maya sighed when the spears went up. And the warriors on horses stared at Zer0 distrustfully.

It also seemed there was a measure of respect for the vault hunters. Eomer hastily mounted his horse. "You have another half days travel. You won't miss the place."

The horseman shouted a command then the horses were filing away and within seconds disappearing over another rise. Maya smiled, "well, I guess that worked."

Salvador chuckled, "you and Zer0 terrify every one around you." Maya smiled. It was true, they probably even terrified Axton and Salvador sometimes too. Though Maya felt a little bad.

They vault hunters took off in the direction they were going once again, hoping that Eomer wasn't lying to them.

For the rest of the day they ran until they sighted a hill rising sharply out of the rock, there were shitty looking houses (pandora was probably shittier anyways) piled around the sides and all the way up to the top where a large building, probably a keep sat overlooking the town.

This was Rohan.


	9. Temporary Refuge

The vault hunters steadily approached the place, wondering if they should just walk in. They had no clue. At the gate A very nervous man in armour came to greet the newcomers.

"Um hi," Maya began, wanting to be non threatening as possible, "we need help, right now. We were pointed to this place, Rohan? And were hoping for a safe place."

The man stared at the worn bloodstained travelers before saying, "why should I let you in? You may be spies." Maya raised her eyebrows, "spies? Sent by who? What are you talking about?"

"Are you not aware of Isengard or Mordor?" The vault hunters exchanged glances. "Well, we just got here a little while ago, sort of by accident. From very far away. trust me not from this, Middle earth," Maya remembered Axton describing what he knew of this planet, "or from any other land you know of." The man stared at them nodding, "well I can certainly tell."

"What are your names?"

Maya, once again, introduced her friends. "I'm Maya, the man beside me is Zer0, then there is Axton and Salvador. The man looked thoughtful, "you've got strange names and weapons."

"I'll take you to see King Theoden. He had given instructions to me to let four strangely garbed travelers in, you must be them."

The vault hunters exchanged bewildered glances. Who?

It at least that went smoothly. The vault hunters followed the man inside, several other soldiers watched the newcomers with wide eyes, hands placed on the hilts of thier swords.

There was some random muttering but the place was silent. Axton figured that most people were afraid of them, more than once filthy, wary villagers fled swiftly into their homes, even children.

Zer0 was quite confused as to why these people were so worn and the place seemed dead. He remembered the sacked homes and villages along the way, and Aragorn had mentioned a war, so had Axton.

The vault hunters made their way up to the keep at the top of the hill, the silence weighing heavily on them.

At the top, they climbed a flight of stairs and stopped outside the door. The soldier leading them said, "I can't let you in until you've handed your weapons over."

None of the vault hunters moved. They all agreed on one thing here, they would never let these people handle thier weapons for several reasons.

One, these people had no knowledge of the weapons, and some one could easily be hurt,

Two, Zer0 would never hand his katana over to anyone. Ever.

Three, the weapons were also the vault hunters only things out here, and were really important, and hard to replace.

Axton shook his head, "no, we won't give you our weapons. They are very valuable, and we can't afford to have them damaged."

The man stared levelly at the commando though he looked unsettled. "I-I'm sorry, but I won't let you in." Zer0 then spoke quietly. "I would not do that if I were you."

The soldier jumped at Zer0's voice and that seemed to shake him up. "F-fine, keep your weapons and I'll lead you in.

The man motioned to six other armed soldiers and they took up a circle around the four vault hunters and led them in. Inside was a large ornate hall.

A man sat on a throne at the end of it. The soldier leading them bowed to Theoden and went off to the side. and there in the hall, conferring quietly, was Aragorn and his companions.

"You!" Salvador pointed at Aragorn.

Aragorn stared at them surprised, "you must have run fast to get here in seven days, a feat of strength indeed..." He muttered thoughtfully.

King Theoden looked up, "welcome to my halls. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Maya started, "um...we need help." Theoden nodded, "Gandalf informed me of strange visitors coming our way. He explained your predicament, and I say I didn't believe him."

Maya shrugged expecting that to be.

"Tell me, how did you get here so quickly, and not be held up by trouble?"

"We ran." Maya answered simply, "where we're from, we've dealt with much worse."

Theoden gazed at these four strangers, they were completely alien to him, and where these people unnerved his men.

But Theoden was intrigued by them especially the siren that seemed to commanded so much respect, or fear.

The vault hunters were clearly not from middle earth or anywhere, partly because of the way they dressed, and thier strange advanced weaponry. And the fact that they did not show the same respect that even common travellers showed to the king of Rohan.

"though, we were attacked on the way, by...what do you call them? Wargs?" Maya finished, she had decided to not say anything about what happened with Eomer.

Aragorn stared in surprise at them, "and you escaped unscathed?" Salvador nodded smiling, "they do not have good weaponry, those beasts were easy to kill."

"Yes, rather a disappointment, they are primitive beasts." Zer0 spoke quietly. Theoden seemed to almost jump, but he regained composure so fast it could have been imagined, but the vault hunters certainly didn't miss it.

Maya could see Gimli the dwarf watching Salvador with a look of respect. Then she almost laughed out loud when she realized that the two were the same size.

Legolas was otherwise intrigued by Zer0 who had fought so skillfully to have defeated even an elf with ease.

Theoden was about to ask for the vault hunter names when a voice spoke behind them, strong, but slightly quavering. "What are you?"

The vault hunters jumped and whipped around almost raising their weapons.

Behind them was a young blonde woman dressed in a simple white dress. She stood there head raised proudly, meeting the vault hunters eyes fairly, she appeared to be completely calm.

This was a trait that made Maya respect this woman instantly.

"Eowen, come away from them." Theoden called sharply, Eowen stared at the king but never said a word. Based off this, the vault hunters came to the conclusion that this woman held a lot of power. Or was just plain stupid.

"No no," Maya smiled, "she has a right to know, in fact, you all have a right to know."

Several soldiers in the throne room shot glares at Eowen and Maya. They clearly didn't approve of women's rights.

Maya began, "okay, well, my name is Maya, I'm not a human in a sense, but a siren, a sort of elemental witch." There were quiet mutters that broke out at the word "witch".

Maya motioned to Axton next, "Axton here is a human like you. He was in an army before he joined us.

This was starting to go over some of these people's heads.

"Zer0 is an assassin, and Salvador, is a man like Axton, and born on the place we came from."

Theoden was eyeing Maya thoughtfully, "and where do you come from?" Maya sighed, this was the hard part. So the vault hunters spent the next half hour explaining Pandora the vault and the basic concept of space and planets.

Then they could explain how they came to be in Middle Earth.

"So you were searching for a friend on this Pandora and you got teleported here in the process by your enemy?" Theoden asked. The vault hunters nodded.

There was silence for a moment, then, "why have you come to us?"

Maya answered truthfully, "we have nowhere to go for safety, and we need to know how to get to Mordor."

Shocked silence greeted Maya's last statement. She shrugged, " its the only place where the fast travel station is."

"I explained to these four the problems with this, but I didn't think they would Really want to go." Aragorn told Theoden. "But perhaps they could, and perhaps they-you could assist us."

"How?"

In this war we are highly outnumbered, and you would have to make your way past many armies, but perhaps if you accompany us as we make our way to Mordor, you would come with us."

The vault hunters exchanged looks, "should we do it?" Maya asked them. Axton shrugged smiling, "hey why not? Sounds fun." "A good change from bandits And Skags. Not to mention Bullymongs." Salvador said slamming his fist into his palm. Then Zer0, "I would enjoy a challenge, bandits are easy, war is fun." Maya rolled her eyes at Zer0.

Maya nodded, "we'd be glad to assist you."

"If I were you, I would rest for tomorrow, since we are moving our people to Helms Deep, for unfortunately, Isengard threatens us and we must be moving. I will have guest rooms prepared for you."

Later at night, Axton and Salvador had gone and crashed in their guest room but Maya couldn't sleep. And Zer0 was nowhere to be seen. She sat against one of the ornate pillars trying to will herself to sleep.

It wouldn't work.

Two armed soldiers stood on watch outside the main doors. Maya was zoned out completely, and she failed to notice that there was a tall slim shadow approaching from the darkness.

Maya started when suddenly a piece of rubble fell from the roof landing next to her.

Heart thumping she slowly stood up and moved back underneath the archway.

Something was moving up there. Maya turned to look behind her and noticed that the guards never reacted.

They were asleep.

buttheads.

Maya slowly pulled her smg. Then she saw a person flash past out of the corner of her eyes. Startled, Maya backed away from the archway and down the stairs.

Suddenly a slim figure leapt towards her. Maya almost screamed. Then it was gone. She sighed thinking she was imagining things. The siren turned around, to meet a black helmet only inches from her face.

"Holy shit!" Maya stumbled back growing hot with embarrassment. Zer0 was standing there with a bright red LOL over his visor. "Goddamnit Zer0, why'd you do that?"

"I was bored, you were easy, to scare." Maya glared at him, "that wasn't funny!"

"Yes it was."

Maya took a breath trying to calm her pounding heart. She then changed the subject, "so were you waiting all evening for me to come outside?" Zer0 shook his head, "I was restless, I explored the place too, you should come see something."

Maya followed the assassin down the slope wondering if he had planned some prank for her, he'd had a tendency to do that many times while they were on Pandora. Every time, the assassin targeted her.

Like the time he dunked the siren head first in a bank of snow, and when he got Axton to distract her, while he dumped a bucket of freezing ice cold water on her head.

At some point he turned and in between a small rock cliff, and two little houses, there sat two vending machines, for ammo and guns.

It should have been a problem, but it was a good thing actually, the vault hunters needed ammo and guns, but the problem was, they had so little money.

"Well that's too bad, we have no money." Maya stated. Zer0 shook his head, "fortunately, angel contacted me, she hacked the machines. And sent them down to key locations, without permission."

Whatever the no permission meant.

"Aw really? Sweet!" Maya needed ammo anyways so she took a bit of time to fill up again. Maya was also hoping that she could get a corrosive or incendiary elemental weapon too.

Fortunately there was a Maliwan incendiary repeater on sale. Maya nabbed it. She then thought of something really crucial,

what if these normal people got a hold of these guns? That could be really bad.

Maya was about to turn and ask Zer0 what could be done about that, but he was gone. Why did he always do that? Maya snorted and slowly made her way back to the keep.

As she climbed the stairs she met the wizard Gandalf wandering around. Maya nodded at him and was passing when he stopped her, "Ah Maya, I was hoping to meet you, I wanted to ask about your powers."

Maya stopped, "what about them?"

"Would you explain to me what a siren is, and how your powers work? I feel a surprising amount of power unheard of, even more so than the Witch King, who is perhaps the most powerful sorcerer I have seen."

Maya hesitated, how would she explain a power she barely knew herself? Maya took a breath, "as far as I know, since I don't completely even understand my own powers, there are six sirens at one time spread across the universe.

The sirens are only ever women, and I know of two others. They each posses different powers, fuelled by a rare substance called eridium. Though since the opening of the first vault, my powers have increased."

Gandalf looked extremely interested in this sort of magic, "what is it that you do?"

"My main power involves phase locking, which suspends things in the air, as you saw me do to Gimli. The other siren I know, her name is Lilith, "she can phase shift, which is disappearing for a space of time To reappear elsewhere.

Gandalf nodded slowly, "you are very powerful, I don't doubt that. If you stayed with us you would be able to end the war with Mordor with ease..."

Maya shook her head, "it would be a nice change, but time will grow too short for my friends and I."

Maya was about to say something else when suddenly Zer0 appeared by her side.

Maya jumped and so did Gandalf, but Maya's reaction was more comical, she gasped and just about fell over backwards to land on her butt.

Zer0 held out his hand and caught her arm, Maya felt her face flush, but luckily it was dark.

"and what about you assassin?" Gandalf addressed Zer0, "you have the uncanny ability to disappear and fool your enemies, though I feel no magic behind it."

"Deception is my skill, thus I move with ease, and strike from behind."

Maya sighed, "he disappears like Lilith can, but his suit provides the technology to do that. When he disappears, he makes a fake clone of himself."

Gandalf nodded satisfied there was also a twinkle in his eye. He was keen and hadn't missed Maya's reaction to Zer0's sudden appearance.

"Well, I should leave you two, I suggest to rest, since the journey to Helms Deep is long and slow going."

Then Gandalf was slowly making his way down the stairs whistling a quiet tune.

Maya felt awkward now that she was alone with Zer0. "I'm going to sit back down." Maya suddenly stifled a yawn and went to sit back down by the pillar.

Maya almost right away felt herself drift off, but she saw Zer0 had followed her. "What?" Zer0 was silent he turned away and leaned against one of the other pillars.

Maya snorted.

Slowly, the siren felt herself drift off to sleep, but she couldn't ignore the fact that the assassin seemed to be watching her.

What was going through his head?

Finally Maya fell asleep.


	10. Wargs

**Hooray! I now have book title! Now I assume this is a better book,**

**and yes Peachcandy, I've decided to Axton learn to shield surf! And he remains the most annoying character, the entire time! **

**Hehe, I'm so cruel To him.**

Axton stood outside watching the people in the town below race around they were preparing to leave packing carts and readying horses. Zer0 stood opposite the pillar with his arms crossed surveying the town.

Zer0 it turns out had been out all night doing who knows what. At some later point, Axton woke up, to see Zer0 carrying a sleeping Maya inside the room Theoden gave the vault hunters.

For some odd reason, he wished that he would have stayed up the night, and couldn't push down the jealous feeling rising in his chest.

Axton felt like asking Zer0 what he was doing outside last night but decided against it.

Axton turned abruptly to go inside, when the large doors opened and Maya came out looking slightly sleepy. "Hey." She greeted him. He nodded and was about to go inside when she stopped him, "oh Axton, go and wake up Salvador, Zer0 found something I think that you'll be very happy about."

Axton went inside wondering what it was. He made his way to the room and found Salvador sleeping on the floor snoring away. Axton shook him. "Hey Sal, get up. Maya wants to show us something."

Salvador woke up yawning, "okay then show me what it is."

When they walked out, Maya was waiting. "Hey guys, come check this out." They followed her down into the village, people down there gazed at the four warily, some of the villagers nodded in greeting but most of them just stared and swiftly moved out of the way.

Axton sighed at how silly these people were being.

Soon Maya turned in between two houses. Sitting nestled in the rock was two vending machines, they were hacked too. "Angel sent them, she said she wasn't supposed to but she did anyways.

"Aw nice!" Axton smiled, he went to refill his ammo and got himself a Dahl pistol. Salvador stocked up too, since all the vault hunters had used much of their ammo on the wargs.

"We need to get better shields though..." Maya said frowning, "perhaps there will be more." Axton jumped and he saw Zer0 standing beside him. "Damnit Zer0! A little warning please!"

The assassin shrugged.

Then another voice behind them spoke, "what of vending machines?" Behind them stood Legolas, and Gimli.

"Oh, we use them to get our weapons and ammunitions."

Legolas then turned to Zer0, "how is it that you managed to best me? I am curious as to your methods."

"Deception is my skill, not magic, thus I kill easy."

"He means," said Maya, "that his suit allows him to disappear while creating a decoy."

"That is cowardice, I say," Gimli muttered gruffly. Zer0 ignored the dwarf.

"You matched me well, you are very swift, and you aim well."

Legolas motioned at Zer0's sniper rifle, "what is that?"

"A sniper rifle, would you like a demonstration?"

Legolas smiled, "yes I would," he motioned at one of the flag poles on a wooden tower. Zer0 took aim through his scope and fired. There was a loud bang then a neat flaming hole formed through the waving flag, right in the horses head.

Legolas looked impressed by Zer0's accuracy.

The guard at the tower jumped and looked around frantically. Seeing there was nothing he swiftly batted at the flames growing bigger. Maya laughed.

Then a call alerted the vault hunters. All the people were filling out of the gates with their belongings. A soldier was issuing orders to them. "Time to go. It's a shame that we can't take the machines..." The other vault hunters nodded agreeing with Maya. Legolas nodded to them and he and Gimli disapeared.

Then the vault hunters followed the rest of the people of Rohan.

In not long the vault hunters were walking alongside the villagers separated interacting with different people. Zer0 ended up walking alongside Legolas and Gimli, they seemed to be very interested in eachother.

Salvador had also taken an interest in Gimli and was walking beside him, Maya was forced to walk by Axton. She was silent, which unnerved him.

The journeying was slow going and it made all the vault hunters bored. Zer0 especially. He longed for a challenge or something to do involving killing. At one point Legolas who was leading his horse, turned and asked Zer0, what is that sword you have? How is it that it appeared out of nowhere?"

"The blade digistructs when I draw it, we store all our weapons and ammo in this." Zer0 held up the storage device for the elf to see.

Zer0 was still so bored. He had sudden an idea.

"I am bored, while there is no killing," he drew his katana, "cross your blade with me." Legolas smiled, "I'd gladly do that. Though you will promise not to use trickery."

Zer0 grudgingly agreed, "though it is the way I fight, I will not fool you, though be warned, I don't go easy."

The two stopped drawing their blades. A large circle cleared around them.

Maya and Axton noticed a commotion up a head and heard shouts. She and Axton exchanged looks, and quickened their pace.

When they got there, Legolas and Zer0 were mock fighting. The two danced gracefully around each other swinging their blades. Maya and Axton stopped to watch.

"You wanna make a bet?" Axton turned to Maya. She nodded.

"I'm betting on Zer0."

"Of course you are."

Maya glared at him, making him flinch, "goddamnit Axton, Shut up!

Axton hastily continued, he had only meant to tease her, he wondered why she would react so. "Well..." Axton began, "it's hard to say...but I'd bet on Zer0."

There was no response, "Maya? Maya?" The siren had dazed off with a certain look in her eyes. He followed her gaze to Zer0. Oh. That was why. Axton felt that strange disappointment again.

Axton watched Zer0 and Legolas fight for a half hour. When they finally finished it was concluded. It turned out they both didn't win. Without Zer0's deception, he was evenly matched with Legolas, but he usually had the upper hand.

Zer0 was satisfied and he and Legolas preceded to walk silently together.

In several days or was it? Maybe more? Zer0 had no clue. The vault hunters were near the front when there was a sudden disturbance. A soldier raced past them shouting,

"The wargs of Isengard! The wargs are attacking."

There was panic in literally seconds and all the soldiers were rallying and forming up, shouting orders.

Zer0 felt happy, finally something to do! he ran to the head of the group where Legolas was standing.

Maya followed him, he distantly heard her yelling to wait. Zer0 stopped at the rise equipping his sniper rifle, smiling. His other companions joined him. They watched as packs of wargs swarmed over the hill.

Zer0 took aim, when they were far away, and trained the scope on a leading warg. He pulled the trigger. With a bang the bullet hit true and the head of the warg blew and it went tumbling.

"Sucker."

The Orc on the warg's back screamed as it caught on fire.

Zer0 took out many more in quick succession earning much more awe from the soldiers lining up to charge the wargs. Soon Legolas joined Zer0 when the wargs were in range.

Then the knights charged. The vault hunters preferred to run and Zero leapt up on a tall rock and took out other enemies.

Maya took out her smg, and killed as many enemies as she could. Around her men of Rohan were faring quite badly, they would have done well if they had guns. Axton deployed his sabre turret, and Salvador leapt into the fray with his brute strength.

Maya saw them out of the corner of her eyes then leapt away as a warg jumped roaring at her.

The orc swung its sword but Maya escaped unscathed since her shield absorbed the blow to her shoulder. The orc looked perplexed, then Maya phase locked it in the air about to shoot it.

But two other wargs leapt at her, she phase locked them with her other hand leaving her with her hands full. The creatures roared and growled in anger. But couldn't break free.

Maya then noticed a fourth one in her peripheral vision and Zer0 getting ready to leap on it. Maya smiled that was dealt with.

Two arrows pierced the warg, and one through the orc's skull. Maya dropped it shouting, "fear me bitches!" The looks of rage turned to terror as she took aim with her repeater and lit her last two enemies on fire.

Suddenly a weight landed on her back and pushed her face first to the ground. The force broke her shield. She heard a growl behind her, "somebody get this thing off me!"

Claws held the siren down and she prepared to feel its teeth meet her.

The pounding of hooves sounded nearby and the warg was distracted. There was a sound of a sword hitting flesh and there was a pained whinny and a man screamed.

Shit, shit, shit!

Then a glowing blade stuck through the head of the beast right to the ground. Maya felt blood and drool splatter her hair. Great.

"I'll cut you up, you little rotten-HRRK!"

Maya groaned as the Wargs limp body pushed her to the ground. A gloved hand grabbed hers and pulled her up. "Thanks Zer0." Maya wheezed.

The assassin displayed a happy face on his visor, and leapt back into the fray.

Salvador grabbed the riderless warg by the head keeping it from sinking its teeth into his body. The gunzerker took a grenade and shoved it inside the beast's mouth. "Fire in the hole pendejo!"

He leapt back clumsily and watched as the warg collapsed writhing then blew apart. Salvador grinned easily and faced another warg that ran at him.

Axton redeployed his sabre turret. The turret tore into several approaching wargs. "Don't be shy, I've got plenty more of where that came from assholes!" Axton shouted drawing more wargs to himself.

Axton heard a shout suddenly. A warg raced by almost knocking the commando over. "Hey watch it jack hole!" He stopped.

There caught on the warg being dragged alongside it, was the ranger Aragorn. Axton never had time to do anything. A wounded warg attacked the commando pushing his down on his back.

Axton gasped as the air was rushed out of him. Thinking quickly, he managed to grab the snapping creature before it bit Axton's face off. It was so heavy though.

Axton felt his arms shaking, "bite this stupid idiot!" Axton shoved a grenade and the beast gulped it down. It looked momentarily confused, then blew up.

Though at the cost of Axton getting covered in blood.

He spat at the blown corpse.

Then he looked to see the giant warg sliding off a cliff. With Aragorn following it.

Though Axton had a different reaction than most people.

He didn't really care.

What?! It's not like the vault hunters knew Aragorn anyways!


	11. Helms Deep

**I don't really know what the lay out of Helms Deep is like, I also forgot, so I made a guess on it.**

**I forgot most of the book, and the movie doesn't have much of a description on it. :P**

**Plus I realized I made some mistakes with repeating probably unnessecary things, but I suppose I shouldn't have stayed up several entire nights to write. I'll try to not make these mistakes! **

**I think my writings getting lazy, I'll probably take a long break after this chapter!**

Axton looked over at the commotion hearing shouts of "there it is! There is Helms Deep!" And also, "we are safe at last!"

There was scattered cheering and such. But most of it was shadowed by the deaths from the fight with the wargs, and people seemed pretty upset by Aragorn's death too.

Suddenly a voice sounded in the vault hunters recorders.

"Hey, Handsome Jack here! I can't help but notice that you ran into a little fight there. I feel a little bad for you. So, I'll warn you now. Your fight's just about to get worse."

He cut out then came back, "oh, and I dropped off a couple of your friends."

Then he was gone, the vault hunters exchanged glances, that didn't sound good.

Then they beheld the castle Helms Deep. It was carved into a mountain side, quite impressive in their eyes. There was a large flat plain laid out in front of the castle. "Not bad..." Salvador muttered, "at least we can get off these blasted plains."

Inside the city, the streets were very narrow, and inside, people kept shouting happily. "Rohan is here!" They looked very decrepit and sad. Basically quite hopeless.

When the vault hunters walked by though, the people were literally frightened of them. Especially Zer0. Which was understandable and way too common.

Soon the arrival of the vault hunters spread like wildfire throughout Helms Deep, and got to the ears of two particular people.

These two people were very happy to hear this.

The people of Rohan were milling about in some square unsure of what to do. While the vault hunters even more unsure, leaned against a nearby wall and waited.

"What for? They had no idea.

Axton suddenly heard a screech. The screech came from a very familiar bird, and they'd heard it before. He looked up to see a flash of brown dive over a wall.

It didn't come back.

Then the vault hunters saw Theoden motioning to them. They slowly made thier way through the press of the crowd. when they reach the king, a voice shouting made them turn.

There, making their way quickly towards them, was Lilith and Mordecai.

(Let's just say the vault hunters met Mordecai already)

"Mordecai, Lilith! What are you two doing here?" Axton called.

"Hey what's up?" Mordecai responded. "Heard about four complete strangers not from anywhere in middle earth, so I sent Bloodwing to check it out. How'd you even get to this place?"

"Jack used a fast travel station out in The Dust," Axton then felt embarrassment creep into him. "I sorta tripped Zer0 and he pushed Maya into the fast travel station.

Next thing we knew, we all woke up in some forest."

"Woah, whoah! hold up, did you at least rescue Roland?"

"Umm...no."

Mordecai and Lilith grew angry, "seriously guys? You spent all that time arguing, and Roland isn't even safe?!" Lilith was especially angry at the four vault hunters.

The four looked at each other with embarrassed glances. Axton was especially embarrassed. But instead of admitting it Axton blurted out, "Maya was being annoying!"

The commando regretted this because, Maya turned to him eyes burning."Really Axton? Annoying?"

"Uh..."

"Axton?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that little talk we had about Ellie's garbage crusher in The Dust?"

"Yeah..."

"Do you get the hint?"

"heh...yeah..."

Maya looked like she wanted to rip Axton's head off, though she was probably right to, but now was not the time. Zer0 stepped in between them separating them, "now is not the time, we have more pressing things to attend, fighting comes later."

Maya's eyes seemed to soften, she sighed, "I guess your right."

Then she jabbed Axton in the shoulder, "you'll still get it," she smiled mischievously, "I'll be sure of that."

Uh oh...

"Okay guys, this is all great and whatnot," Mordecai cut in, "but we really need to know what's going on." Bloodwing shrieked in agreement, and several people who had been eyeing her distrustfully, jumped back.

King Theoden was watching Mordecai and Lilith, "am I right to say you are from Pandora?"

Lilith nodded, "yeah, name's Lilith, this here's Mordecai. The bird is Bloodwing." Bloodwing cawed.

"So, there anywhere quiet we can talk?" Maya asked Lilith, motioning to the crowd gathered around them, staring at them.

The red haired siren nodded, "yeah, we've got a place." The vault hunters followed the two through some winding streets until they reached a ratted door built into the wall.

"They gave us A place to stay, not the best, but it's better than what you get on Pandora." Mordecai opened the door and everyone else went inside.

Inside, it was a single space, not much to it. There were stairs that led steeply up somewhere and a table and a couple of chairs sat around. There was also an empty fireplace. "Huh. Not bad... Too bad there 's no electricity." Axton muttered.

Mordecai pulled out a lighter and lit the three torches in the wall shedding light. "Welcome to our temporary home." Lilith said. "Also we dragged a couple of the vending machines to that corner over there. Didn't want normal people getting to them.

Though we have no clue how they got here, or why they're hacked.

The four exchanged glances, there was a lot of explaining to do.

Zer0 leaned against the far wall silently while Axton and Salvador went to check the vendors out and get more ammo. Maya sat on the floor against the fireplace, while Lilith and Mordecai leaned back in the chairs. Bloodwing cawed and flew from Mordecai's shoulder and landed up on top of the hearth of the fireplace.

When the other two vault hunters were seated, as comfortable as possible, Lilith asked, "so how exactly did you get here and what do you know."

So the four explained to Lilith and Mordecai what happened the past days from when the vault hunters were transported to Middle Earth, to Jack's offer, to Rohan and finally arriving at Helms Deep.

Lilith and Mordecai waited silently the whole way through. Getting angrier and angrier the way through. "Damnit!" Mordecai slammed his fist on the arm of the chair.

His outburst startled Bloodwing making the red bird caw. "I knew Jack was behind it all! And you believed that Angel freak?! And of all things, Jack puts the fast travel station in a volcano infested with evil monsters!"

"Hey at least we have any guns at all, plus we may be able to get these people to help us if we prove ourselves." Maya said calming the angry hunter down.

"Which means getting in the middle of a war! Damnit Axton! Why'd you cause this?" Axton looked away but didn't answer. Maya decided to change the subject before Mordecai got too angry.

"So why'd Jack transport you here? And how?"

"Well to get rid of us and weaken sanctuary," Lilith snorted. "I was in sanctuary trying to get Claptrap off my back. Stupid little robot drives me crazy.

Then everything went black. I woke up out here in some field, at least with all my weapons. Found out I wasn't on Pandora when I met Mordecai outside this castle.

We wandered for awhile soon after we got close to this place, we were ambushed in the dark and woke up here. When we explained they gave us lodging here for awhile. Told us about this Middle Earth place.

People have been talking. Talking about us and some wizard called Saraumon from IsengarMm making war.

"I was out shooting varkids in Tundra Express when everything sorta just went black. Next thing, Bloodwing and I woke up in a field, wandered around then found Lilith." Mordecai added.

"So Jack probably used the fast travel network and hooked you two in...or something..." Maya murmured. "We might as well help these people, they're our only hope of getting to this Mordor place."

Mordecai nodded, "as much as we need too get back and save Roland, I could use a break from Skags and Bandits."

"Plus Hyperion."

"That too, if only they had rakk ale here..."

Lilith rolled her eyes. And Maya shook her head. "Speaking of Rakk ale," Salvador began, "any place to get drinks here?" Mordecai smiled and nodded.

"We should find this king guy if we want to get help anyways." Lilith said getting up from her chair. "Aww but I'm so tired! I just want a drink!" Axton whined. "well too bad, because you won't be getting any until we've got our situation sorted out!" Maya glared at the commando.

The six vault hunters left the building and made their way up along the streets. People moved out of the vault hunters way hastily, making the vault hunters annoyed.

As the vault hunters reached the top of the city or whatever you would call it, a soldier of Rohan, at a guard post ran to meet them. He bowed, which annoyed the vault hunters even more.

Though Lilith and Maya smiled at the man bowing enjoying the treatment.

"King Theoden has requested that you meet with him right away." Lilith shrugged, "we were going to meet him anyways."

The man clearly disapproved of the vault hunters lack of respect for the king, and Rohan's customs but he shut his mouth, since he didn't want to get his butt kicked by these strangers.

The six followed the man up more flights of stairs until they reached large heavy wooden doors. The man opened the door and inside another ornate hall greeted them. Torches lined the walls and bright sunlight shone through the windows.

They passed through several different large rooms. Inside the last room Theoden waited on a throne. His guards stood about keeping watch, but otherwise the hall was empty.

"Ah vault hunters," Theoden smiled, "I was hoping you'd arrive."

"So what do you want?" Lilith asked the king.

"I assumed that you wanted to discuss your plans to get to Mordor?"

Maya nodded. "We thought that if we assist you in your war, you would consider helping us."

Theoden smiled, "yes, that would be appreciated. "People of your skill could make much more of a difference. You would also be safer to travel to Mordor.

Though the cost may be high, there will be many casualties, and even deaths."

Lilith turned back to them, "what do you think?"

"I say we kick some ass." Salvador smiled. The rest agreed with him, even Bloodwing. Mordecai smiled at his bird and stroked her soft feathers.

"Good," Theoden smiled, "though right now we wait upon our enemy from Isengard, where the white wizard Saraumon even now sends his army upon us. I would consider learning to wield a blade of a kind in this fight."

Zer0 smiled behind his mask, it was no problem for him, though Maya, Lilith, and Salvador would want to learn, even if they could use knives.

"For now, I will give you rooms up here where you are nearby. For now you'll be as honoured guests, I'll get some one to attend to your needs."

That was good, the vault hunters were not looking forward to dragging those vending machines around. Though there were still no med vendors.

"Thanks," Lilith nodded, "that other place was too small. Though we just have to get a couple of things moved for us, we didn't want people to get a hold of our weaponry."

Theoden nodded, "I'll see to that soon as I am free."

Well this was nice. The vault hunters were being treated specially. This could be easier than they thought. The vault hunters were all given separate rooms, and when they finished they stood around planning what to do.

"I'd like to find a bar somewhere." Mordecai told them, "anyone coming?" Axton and Salvador joined him and they all left. Lilith wanted to go and wash herself up, since they had the option. Compared to Pandora.

Maya was left with Zer0, they both went to their own rooms. Maya just wanted to sleep. Zer0 was just bored, and he didn't have much to do.

Maya entered her room, it was simple enough, there was a bed and a table with a chair by it. A window over looked Helms Deep. The sun had long set and she was exhausted.

But Maya couldn't sleep, how was she supposed to learn to use a blade?" She could use knives, so it probably wasn't much different, plus she didn't like the look of using ridiculous armour. If the vault hunters could find a med vendor, they could get better shields.

Maya decided she'd look around the city instead of sleeping. The siren put her hand on her head and found her hair crusted with blood and saliva, great. Plus she could feel the deep claw marks from that warg on her shoulder aching.

Maya stood up and walked the door, when she put her hand on the knobb, someone from the outside pushed the door in.

She almost jumped out of her skin. Zer0 stood there with his hand on the knob.

"Jesus Zer0! Why don't you ever knock?"

"Knock? I am an assassin."

Maya felt her gut churn nervously, "what did you want? And please knock on my door from now on."

"My apologies for scaring you, I will knock, or-" Zer0 stopped his sarcastic remark, he might regret it.

"I was bored."

Maya snorted, "that's pretty obvious. you could have just gone to a bar. So why me?"

Zer0 never answered. Maya snorted, how typical. She pushed past the assassin closing the door behind her. For some reason Maya wanted to be far away from him, she couldn't get rid of the feeling in her gut.

"Where are you going? I want to come...please?" Maya just heard the assassin use please?

What was next?

"Whatever." Maya shrugged, though she stayed as far ahead as possible. Though this made the assassin perplexed by this behaviour. But he wasn't much of an expert in socializing anyways. So he had no understanding of how he felt, or why Maya acted so strange around him. In fact she seemed to be the mystery.

Though, Zer0 was again, terrible at positive socializing.

Maya left the building with the assassin trailing behind her. Maya stopped at the top of the stairs. There were several guards standing at posts, but otherwise, the place as silent as ever.

"Where are you going?"

Maya turned around her arms crossed as she tried to maintain her usual composure. "I was planning on exploring Helms Deep, maybe search for one of Zed's vendors...

Hey Zer0?"

"What?"

"Why do you speak in haiku all the time? Can you even talk normally?"

Maya was suddenly curious and she wanted to find out already.

Zer0 thought about that question. Yes, he could speak normally, but he didn't want to reveal why he spoke in haiku all the time.

Even to Maya.

"Yes, I speak normal, though I prefer otherwise." This was all he would say, and nothing Maya could do would persuade him.

They stood silently staring out over the large area that stretched in front of of Helms Deep.

Awkward silence...

Maya berated herself, god! She didn't even know this guy! So why did she feel so stupid? A siren, really? How could this guy just reduce her to a bumbling idiot?

"So...this is nice..." Maya broke the silence. "Let's go then."

The two explored the city everywhere, it was big, but not large enough to get lost. At this time of night, (we'll say about midnight) very few people were out, only the occasional soldier and random person. one thing they noticed was the few common people out were crazy anyways, sort of like in Sanctuary.

But at least they had the sense to stay away from Zer0 and Maya.

After checking along the walls finally, there was nothing. Maya sighed, "shoot, what'll we do about this?"

"Search more? Stop?" Zer0 suggested helpfully.

"I suppose...I could ask Mordecai where he found the first vendors though." And it was decided. The two knew that Mordecai would be still drinking, Axton could have finished, or passed out, including Salvador.

After getting directions to a bar, though people corrected Maya saying it was a tavern, plus they didn't use "bar", so getting directions to a "tavern". It was pretty simple to get there and when Maya pushed her way in the "tavern", she realized that this was stupid, Mordecai was drunk.

But it didn't hurt to check that he was okay

And he was, there was a loud commotion by the hunter. He sat leaning back in a chair a large empty mug in his hand, there were five other men lying passed out on the ground, one in puke, giving the tavern a horrible smell.

Although it smelled bad anyways

It looked as though Mordecai was part of some contest because the crowd had been betting on him and the other people that were passed out. Maya snorted rolling her eyes and walked over pushing her way through the crowd.

"Mordecai, what are you doing?" He must have drank a shit load because he took a bit to focus on the siren. "Oh hey Maya, I just had a contest with these poor guys on he ground." He chuckled, "thought they could beat me in a drinking contest." He raised his empty tankard. "They're gonna bet on how well I can aim with my sniper rifle when I'm drunk Next."

Maya sighed and shook her head, "Mordecai, I think it's time to leave this place."

"Aw seriously? I shoot better when I'm drunk, plus the ale's really good." Mordecai stood up but stumbled. "Alright, alright, I'm going." And then he left several times stumbling. Maya smiled to herself and turned around to say something to Zer0 but he was gone.

Maya looked around in the dispersing crowd, and there was Zer0 sitting at a table over somewhere a smiley face over his visor a tankard of ale in his hands. He was obviously drunk. But How?

Maya had no clue.

She walked over noticing that drunk men were staring at her, possibly her ass. "Zer0, how'd you drink that?" The tankard was empty. She raised her eyebrows at him.

It wasn't as if he'd taken his helmet off. "How did you-never mind, I'd rather not know. But we should go now anyways." There seemed to be a growing crowd around the two.

Zer0 nodded and stood up stumbling a little, Maya smiled at the assassin's clumsiness.

"Hey," an extremely drunk, either brave, or stupid person began. He sauntered up to Maya who stood her ground staring the man in the eyes. "Why don't you come over here with me and my pals little lady."

Maya narrowed her eyes at him as three other less drunk men chuckled. "Come and ditch this freak show boy friend of yours and join some real men."

Maya grew angry and felt her tattoos glowing though the man was too drunk to realize the threat. The man moved closer and Maya could smell his rank breath, though he refused to back down.

The siren noticed Zer0 out of the corner of her eyes, he was alert, and he stepped closer behind Maya. "I have a better idea," Maya said using her condescending sweetness.

"If you take one step closer, I'll shove my repeater up your ass. and you'll regret being born." She took out her incendiary gun, and as she did this, A couple of men drew knives from belts nearby.

The man grew angry he stepped closer, drawing a long knife, though he couldn't have done much since he was drunk. Zer0 behind Maya drew his katana. Maya waved him off, "don't worry I'll handle it."

The drunk man laughed a booming voice, "handle it? Pretty lady says she'll handle it?" The man grabbed her arm. But before he could do anything she phase locked him and held him up in the air.

"Are you sure you want to mess with me?" Maya asked deathly quiet. The man grew from angry to fearful. So was everyone else in the tavern. Maya stared at him until he began to cry, yes cry, and plead, "NO NO! Don't kill me! Please! I'll do anything!"

Maya dropped him onto his butt, he stayed like that shocked. Maya smiled and aimed her revolver, she fired making sure the bullet hit the floor, right near his crotch.

Maya smiled as the man stared whimpering at the tiny flaming hole. She and Zer0 left the tavern the air filled with heavy silence and the assassin never put his katana away until they were outside again.

"Well that was fun." Maya smiled, she turned to Zer0 who was swaying now, "you should get back already though."


	12. War and P0intless Rambling

**So I got sort of a writing block for awhile, and I have been writing very slowly. So sorry it took so long.**

**I began to realize to that I was forgetting a lot of details from Lord of the Rings. So there is some missing details and shit. And this turned out to be sort of like pointless rambling...I guess I have a chapter name.**

**my writing may have got a little shitty too...**

**oh well, enjoy! And if you can point out anything from Lord of the rings, then I'd be glad to hear it!**

Maya exited her room yawning. it was quite late towards the afternoon, and outside waiting was one of Theoden's men. "What?" She asked, "the king has requested that you see him." The man said bowing.

Maya raised her eyebrows at him annoyed. "Why did you just bow to me?" The man sort of stopped, seeing the look in Maya's eyes, and he stuttered, "b-because y-you and your companions are-"

"just don't bow to us anymore its annoying." The man nodded hastily almost bowing to the siren, and walked on down the corridor towards where the other vault hunters were sleeping.

Maya made her way to the throne room and saw that Gimli, Legolas, and surprisingly Aragorn were there. Maya blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "You were dead...weren't you?" Maya asked him.

Aragorn shook his head, "fortunately I survived the fall and made it back here."

"Um, okay..." Maya shrugged.

"Hello Maya, did you sleep well? My head hurts." Maya whipped around surprised, "Zer0! Stop sneaking up on me like that!" She gasped. Maya allowed herself to relax, "but yes I did sleep well, and I guess you shouldn't have been drinking." Maya managed to smile, but just barely.

A loud yawn interrupted them, to Maya's relief. "Hey Axton, looks like you slept well," Maya snickered. The commando's hair was messy and smashed on one side, and his eyes were strained.

Strangely enough, there were recently acquired bruises on him. Maya frowned, "what's with all the bruises." Axton seemed to panic briefly but it was gone. "N-nothing!"

Maya gave him a look but didn't press, though she knew he was hiding something. Axton was a horrible liar. Soon everybody else joined them and were listening to some boring meeting about a war.

Maya had zoned out and caught only little snipets of the conversation, but mostly nothing was caught. "Isengard... blah blah blah...blah blah blah blah blah..." Suddenly Maya felt a nudge making her jump.

"Hey amigo." It was Salvador smiling with a funny look, "pay attention," Salvador glanced towards where Maya was staring. "I don't stare!" She hissed quietly.

Salvador just smiled even more. Maya turned and snorted. She didn't stare at the assassin, she was just zoned out.

Maya managed to catch onto the last bit, "ten thousand."

"Wait what?" Maya whispered. "An army of ten thousand of those things called orcs is coming this way." Salvador smiled ready already for the endless fun to come.

The meeting wore on and most of it, the vault hunters didn't understand, or care about, and they were all dying of extreme boredom. After an unknown amount of time, Theoden suddenly addressed the vault hunters.

"So now that you know what you will face, you can still choose to fight or leave, but to fight with us would be very helpful."

The vault hunters didn't need to rethink this, Lilith nodded smiling, "of course we will fight."

"Now prepare yourselves fast, Saraumon's army moves swiftly, and there is only a matter of days, or perhaps hours before they are upon us."

Lilith nodded, "we can handle it, don't worry. Those orcs by the sounds of it will be easy to kill." Theoden nodded, "good, and I also had those machines you requested moved here. They are nearby the wall."

When the meeting finished. Maya walked outside of the keep to see the people of Helms Deep preparing for the battle. People rushed around recieving weapons and such.

Maya than noticed to her disgust, that there were children. Zer0 had come up behind her, this time though, Maya didn't jump.

"Look at that," Maya pointed, "they have children fighting here."

"So it must be in times like these."

Maya and Zer0 spun around to see Aragorn approaching them with Legolas and Gimli. Maya nodded in greeting. "Tell me Siren, can you fight with a blade?" Maya shook her head. "I fight with my hands if I have to. Also my powers." She smiled.

"I saw you in the battle, you fight with much skill, especially your assassin there." Maya smiled at the compliment. "You should learn to wield a blade in this fight. Perhaps, I could find someone to teach you?"

Maya was surprised, she was about to answer when Zer0 spoke quickly, "you need not fear, I am proficient in all blade types, I will teach her." Why did the assassin just rush to say that?

Maya looked away her cheeks colouring mumbling, "you don't have to teach me Zer0..." The other three hadn't missed that exchange. Aragorn smiled, "well be sure to teach her well. The battle is not far away."

When they had left, Maya swung around, cursing her hormones. "Zer0, I don't need to be taught anything from you or anyone!" The assassin didn't answer for a moment then said, "of course I do, this battle is dangerous, and..." He trailed off, leaving Maya wondering what he was going to say.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Maya snorted, whatever.

She walked down the steps feeling like exploring for a while. The assassin stood still for a little bit watching Maya weave through the thick crowd before swiftly following. Maya felt a presence following her, "Zer0, why are you following me?"

"I..." For the first time in a long time, Maya stumped him with such a simple sentence and he couldn't think of a haiku, at all. Zer0 thought frantically, wondering how the hell Maya just caused his words to stick in his throat, he realized he was increasingly losing concentration, and was getting bad at thinking up haikus as fluently as usual.

And why was Maya acting so strangely around him? It shouldn't be that bad, that his mere presence freaks her out.

"What, no haikus?" Maya turned around a mischievous look in her eye.

"..."

"Come on, you aren't usually this slow. Infact you are never this slow."

"..."

"Wow."

":D"

Maya smiled trying to maintain her composure at the same time. She turned back around and kept on walking leaving a relieved Zer0 trailing after her. Meanwhile Maya was getting increasingly anxious, sure that his blank mask was fixed on her. _Damnit Maya, focus and ignore him!_

It was working actually quite good and Maya was able to finally convince herself that that it was just like Axton or Salvador following her, as friends, that she hated wanted to strangle, but loved all the same, (NOT THAT WAY). But it was short lived because as Maya was descending more stairs down some other level, Zer0 suddenly came up right beside her, very close.

Maya jumped her eyes wide, she had just blanked out and all of a sudden he was directly beside her. Maya gasped and tripped falling forward, "shit, shit, shi-!"

The assassin reached out quickly and caught her arm and preventing her from tumbling down the stairs. Maya sighed in relief, then was looking at a gloved hand holding hers. Maya looked away embarrassed her face flushing.

"God Zer0! Why'd you creep up like that!" Maya snapped, snatching her hand away rather quickly when she regained her footing.

"I don't creep."

"Um yeah you do, just like now, and last night! You didn't even knock on the door, you just go and push your way in and freak the hell outta people!" Maya's voice rose in anger and her cheeks were flushed.

"?"

Maya whipped around growling under her breath and strode off leaving a confused Zer0 standing on the steps. He'd just helped her to keep her from falling, so why'd she just freak out at him? He couldn't have done anything wrong, did he?

":("

Zer0 didn't follow, he didn't want Maya to freak out at him again. He turned away feeling a tiny bit crestfallen. He repeated over and over to himself he was only helping and the siren was overreacting. He plodded absently along the streets, not even feeling his normal self. What was wrong with him? He definitely couldn't deny what he felt and it continued to in some ways irritate him. He was an assassin, he shouldn't feel like this.

Maya stomped away still angry she looked back out of the corner of her eyes to see Zer0 plodding away. "Stupid selfish asshole." Maya muttered under her breath. "He probably doesn't care that I'm pissed off at him anyways, just like he doesn't care about anything!" Maya had no clue where she was walking, and she knew that she was just rambling pointlessly, she only wanted to get away from the assassin as far as possible.

Maya stopped after a long time not realizing how far she was. She stopped and leaned against a nearby wall still fuming. Maya finally began to calm down, she wished she hadn't reacted so rudely to the assassin. He was only trying to help like any other companion would anyways.

Maya groaned and slapped her forehead, she was sure to have made Zer0 hate her, what was she thinking? "You stupid idiot, why do you have to overreact whenever he helps you!" Maya hissed quietly to herself.

Maya waited there a long time feeling seething embarrassment. she didn't certainly want to go back to her friends and have to face Zer0. Maya found herself looking around almost hopefully. Though he was probably not going to, Maya was wishing in a tiny part of her mind he'd come back. Of course he never did.

Zer0 felt quiet the same, he wanted to go back, but was afraid Maya would be there. He looked swiftly around wondering if any of his friends were there too and he made an invisible decoy of himself leaning against the wall. Disappearing, he jumped up grabbing a piece of wood sticking out of a house wall. He pulled himself up and climbed swiftly to the top.

Satisfied he wasn't going to be bothered, Zer0 sat on the top of the roof, trying to still figure out Maya's reaction to his helpful gesture. He didn't get it and gradually his eyes closed without him realizing it.

Next thing he knew he was jolted awake by loud horns blaring across the walls. He realized that he fell asleep, thinking.

Curious though by the noise, he wondered if there was an attack, he saw people down below, mostly soldiers rushing around and yelling, it was quite dark, the other vault hunters were probably wondering where the heck he was. Oh well...

Zer0 stayed invisible and got up. He leaped down completing the landing with a roll and jogged along towards where the main gate was, he guessed that he would find out what was going on there, it was the most logical thought.

There was more and more people along the way coming out of their homes in curiosity and rushing around in excitement. Eventually Zer0 came upon a big crowd of soldiers near the main gate. They were murmuring hopefully and some angrily amongst themselves as very fair and armoured creatures marched along the street in perfect formation.

They held beautiful looking bows and their tall, proud, feline features told Zer0 that they were elves. The elves stopped and Zer0 saw Theoden making his way through the crowd with several guards trailing behind him. Then he saw his companions hanging a little ways back.

For some reason, when Zer0 saw Maya, he felt himself pale beneath his armour, that was when he wished that his suit didn't project emoticons, thank god he was invisible.

Aragorn came forward with his companions and were greeted when a fair elf, obviously of high authority. Zer0 was too far back to hear properly but the two obviously knew eachother well. They grabbed each other in a rough hug smiling, Zer0 wanted to get closer but didn't feel like alerting anybody. Especially Maya.

Zer0 sighed and stared absently at her not paying attention to the going ons, though he learned that the elf leading the 300 others was called Haldir. A strange name he thought. But perhaps this would help end this on coming fight faster and get the vault hunters closer to this Mordor place.

Zer0 snapped himself out of his trance finally to hear Haldir addressing Theoden. "Long ago, we fought and died together. Today, I have come to honour that pact." (I hope the quote was right.) this was making Zer0 rather curious and he almost revealed himself, but didn't when he thought of Maya's anger.

As the crowd dispersed and Haldir joined Theoden, the elves were casting constant glances at the vault hunters. Zer0 was impressed by their courage. They seemed to be as heartless and reserved as the assassin himself. Or perhaps Zer0 was changing, he was staring at Maya again... _Stop it!_

The vault hunters were about to follow and Zer0 moved closer, they were conversing amongst themselves and Maya looked very unhappy. "I'm sure he'll be fine. you know Zer0, badass ninja, takes care of himself." Lilith was saying. Maya looked away not saying anything. She knew that Zer0 was able to take care of himself but she felt bad about being such a jerk earlier.

Axton and Salvador were busy staring after Theoden and Haldir curious about the elves that came to Helms Deep to aid the war. Mordecai, though he didn't show it was also worried about Zer0 and was tuned into the initial problem, finding Zer0.

At this point the assassin was feeling sort of guilty. He went out of deception, right in front of them. "Hey." Was all he said. Everybody nearby jumped, and a couple of elves nearby whipped around drawing curved knives equally shocked by Zer0's sudden appearance.

Bloodwing screeched and flapped her wings in surprise. "Woah man, where the hell were you?" Lilith glared at him. Zer0 shrugged, "out."

Salvador raised his eyebrows, "amigo, you nearly made me beat the crap outta you."

":)"

Maya glared at him then turned away huffing, but not saying a thing.

"?"

"So is 'out,' all you'll tell us?" Lilith asked him. Zer0 turned his head away and crossed his arms uncomfortable with the questioning. Lilith sighed, "look, you can tell us later, but now we should head back, it's gotten dark out, and I'd like to meet this Haldir guy anyways."

"Yes finally!" Axton said rather loudly.

Maya still had fuel in her, because she elbowed him. "Shut up Axton, people are staring enough already with you shouting!"

They made thier way up to the top of Helms Deep and pushed their way into the throne room. There was Aragorn and his companions talking quietly with Haldir. They turned to face the vault hunters, evident curiosity showing in Haldir's eyes.

They walked up to him equally curious to see another elf. "Greetings strangers, I see you are not from here." The elf said quietly.

Lilith nodded, "yeah, we're from...somewhere else, very far away. My name's Lilith, the guy with the bird, is Mordecai, and the other four are Maya, Zer0, Axton, and Salvador."

Haldir was thoughtful looking. "You bear strange names, what is the bird though?"

Mordecai answered his question, "her name's Bloodwing, she's an endangered species."

Bloodwing shrieked again and leaped up landing over on Haldir's shoulder. He looked a little surprised but he easily hid it. In fact he seemed to almost like the bird.

Haldir smiled and held his hand up. Bloodwing cocked her head and cawed letting the elf pet her before she flew back and settled onto Mordecai's shoulder.

Haldir seemed to admire Bloodwing, "you are fortunate to have such a loyal and beautiful bird. But I forgot, I should introduce myself, my name is Haldir of Lothlorien."

Lilith smiled, "pleased to meet you, Haldir. You have come to fight in this battle then?" Haldir nodded in response. Lilith continued, "then I'm curious to see how your kind fight,where we are from, we have never seen anything quite like this."

Afterwards when the vault hunters were settling down in their rooms, Zer0 was laying in his bed starting to drift off when there was a small almost tentative knock on his door.

He got up curiously and opened it to see Maya standing there.

Zer0 didn't know what to say, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he literally froze on the spot. He managed to stutter out, "Maya? What is it?"

Maya didn't answer for a little while, when she did, she looked away and mumbled, "so um Zer0, about earlier today...I'm sorry I got mad at you..." The siren trailed off.

Zer0 nodded with a short jerk, "do not worry, I shouldn't have snuck up on you, now goodnight."

Inside Zer0 realized that he had said that a little harsher than he had intended to. He probably sounded mad at her.

Maya nodded and jerked around and walked quickly down the hall. Zer0 watched her trying to sort out his confused feelings. Why did he freeze up? He shook his head, and almost face palmed. This couldn't be happening to him, especially in the midst of the vault hunters crisis.

Zer0 lay back down mind whirling, but eventually he fell asleep Peacefully

Unfortunately, it was short lived.

**ah hah hah! I had to leave a cliffhanger, hope you enjoyed!**


	13. The Battle F0r Helms Deep, Part 1

**So part one of this book is coming to an end.**

**I also know that I've gotten vague with the LOTR characters, but it didn't help that I've forgotten a lot of movie details. So when you read it, just think of the movie, or book, but this very movie based.**

**also I refer to the urukhai as orcs because the vault hunters don't know that they are not orcs actually. The vault hunters also don't care enough to find out.**

**so enjoy!**

Axton woke up groggily as Lilith burst into the room. "Axton, you might be wanting to get up, the army is approaching." Axton groaned. All these stupid interruptions, he just wanted to sleep.

Axton dragged himself out of bed and laced on his combat boots quickly. He pulled out his combat rifle and slung his corrosive pistol in its holster, wishing that they could have found med vendors to get shields.

Axton met Mordecai walking briskly down the hall with Bloodwing on his shoulder. Axton noticed that the bird was shifting restlessly on Mordecai's shoulder, probably excited to start killing things.

Axton nodded at the hunter. They were soon joined by Lilith, Salvador, and Maya. Axton noticed that both sirens were equipped with their smg's and had acquired long knives.

They waited for Zer0 to come silently, all of them restless. "Where the hell is Zer0?" Lilith asked after ten minutes turning to Maya, for some reason. Maya gave her fellow siren a look then said rather defensively, "how the hell should I know!"

Finally the assassin came briskly down the hall. Lilith rolled her eyes, "what took you so long?"

Zer0 pulled out his sword, "had to sharpen it, for the coming battle, sorry I took so long." Maya snorted out loud but never said anything. Zer0 flashed her a question mark over his visor, but Maya just looked away.

Axton sighed, "okay, so aside from the fighting, we need to figure out what we're doing. I'd be talking to Theoden or somebody who is in charge here."

Lilith nodded in agreement, finally relieved that Axton said something logical for once, and took the lead.

Inside the throne room, there were soldiers running all over and shouting orders, the vault hunters pushed their way through and caught Theoden about to exit the room.

"Hey, so we were wondering, what do we need to do." Lilith addressed the king.

Theoden turned around, "I won't be able to help you, but I can get one of my men to take you out to the front lines."

Lilith nodded, while Axton was wondering if that was stupid, or smart to be out in the front lines with these raving creatures. He looked over at Maya, he didn't want her to be hurt. What if she died?

Theoden called over a soldier, whose name went over his head. The soldier bowed and lead them towards the walls.

Outside, there was deathly silence. The soldiers standing in thier posts, muttered nervously amongst themselves and fear and tension crackled in the air.

The sky was very dark and Axton followed his companions noticing that the people of the city not fighting must have fled somewhere to safety and there were many recently made fortifications.

On the walls, the men held bows, well most of them, some of them had normal swords or axes. The vault hunters decided that they should also stay relatively close in a battle like this.

When they positioned themselves amongst the mixture of elves and men, Axton made a check over his weapons. Zer0 and Mordecai were also checking over their sniper rifles.

Axton looked out in the darkness at the approaching army of monsters. Torches all over dotted the landscape. That was all that was visible because of heavy cloud cover, also rumbling thunder, making Axton question the logic of being in the open in a heavy storm like this, while people were dressed basically in suits of conductors for electricity.

They waited silently with everyone else on the walls, feeling an awkwardness in any talking. Being surrounded by mostly elves didn't really make it better since their hard silence made the vault hunters anxious for some reason.

The clouds rumbled and suddenly a flash of lightning lit up the sky momentarily revealing the massive army. Axton smiled, this was going to be interesting, also quite easy, hopefully.

The first drops of rain fell, then went into a steady down pour. Wonderful, they were all soaked to the bone now.

Axton watched as both Maya and Lilith wiped their hair out of their eyes, making the commando glad he had short hair.

The army moved swiftly too because very soon the army had approached. Tension crackled from everybody in the air and Salvador in anticipation cracked his knuckles very loudly. This action received nervous glances from the nearby people and vault hunters.

In another lightning flash, the vault hunters noticed one of the invading creatures climb onto a tall rock and survey the army below. The creature was massive and looked quite deadly strength wise. It also carried a weird sword that reminded Axton of an oversized measuring tool.

Lilith had noticed too because she let out a giggle. Zer0 flashed her a question mark over his visor. Lilith replied, "oh, it's just that those things look like they're using oversized measuring tools for weapons." Maya snorted in laughter along with the other vault hunters.

Suddenly the creature let out a massive and impressive below. Axton squinted wishing he had some sort of night vision or like Zer0's helmet had built in.

Lucky bastard.

These orcs, seemed to be different than the ones encountered on the way to helms deep. In fact it sort of concerned Axton that these creatures appeared very organized and intelligent.

The army responded and slowed to a halt just outside of the walls. There was a command somewhere and the soldiers with bows pulled out arrows and knocked them smoothly, waiting the command to shoot.

Zer0 and Mordecai raised the sniper scopes to their eyes and took their separate aims, training them on the heads of their targets, and resting their fingers on the triggers.

The monsters started banging crude spear like weapons on the ground while roaring. The other people raised their bows at a command. Axton wiped his eyes of water, but it didn't really help.

In the midst of the orcs banging their weapons and roaring an arrow suddenly sped from the wall and impaled one of the creatures. It groaned then fell over dead.

There was utter silence and now Axton realized Aragorn shouted something in another unrecognizable language.

Axton sighed, "well, here we go, good luck everybody." Bloodwing shrieked challengingly and the monsters charged and let out angry roars.

Arrows flew over the wall taking down an entire row but there were more and more. Salvador laughed evilly and let out a barrage of rockets while gunzerking with two rocky launchers.

"Hijo de putas pendejos!"

Mordecai and Zer0 took clean head shots on the monsters and watched smiling, well for Zer0 a smiley emoticon, as the monsters heads blew up from the force of the bullets.

Laughing insanely, Axton sprayed a row of the creatures down, black blood spraying all over. "Take that bitches!" Shouted the commando as bullets tore through the creatures armour as if it was paper.

Zer0 took aim at yet another and hit it with a head shot, the creature burst screaming into fire catching onto a few more. Then they were at the base of the walls and ladders were being raised up.

A bang followed by a roar and the creature leapt off into the wall. Swift as they were, the elves drew their swords and one cut the creature's head clean off.

After a while, Axton and the other vault hunters began to suspect that these weren't exactly orcs, but some other Orc like creature. They were smart, powerful, and hell bent on destroying every human and elf in sight.

It was good that the walls were wide for maneuvering, because the monsters were getting hard to hold back.

Maya's tattoos glowed and she picked up a monster which screamed what was probably a string of horrible curses, but the vault hunters had witnessed enough foul language on Pandora anyways.

More surrounding orcs upon Maya's will, got pulled into the glowing sphere in a big mass. Much to everybody's wonder, even the elves, Maya focused with her mind and caused a chain of explosions killing or maiming the mass trapped by her powers.

Zer0 unsheathed his digistruct sword and sliced a monster in half length wise, the energy blade cutting through it like butter. The assassin ducked under a crude blade and swung at his attackers legs cutting it down.

Three of them tried to corner the assassin but to their dismay a powerful punch one of the creatures delivered made the assassin flicker and disappear. The real Zer0 had already stabbed it in the back.

"Idiots." He taunted as he cut down the other three.

Salvador had just taken to punching the creatures and occasionally gunzerking. But his blows were powerful enough since the monsters didn't have any of the technological advancements that Pandorans had anyways.

Salvador felt one of the creatures grab his shoulder but Salvador whipped around and grabbed its neck with both hands and broke it, which was tougher than he expected it to be.

Pretty soon, the creatures below were swarmed upon the walls and fighting was tough. The vault hunters stuck close, assisting each other and other allies, but unfortunately, the creatures had some sort of ballista that had a chain they could climb.

Zer0 had figured out to cut the ropes on the ladders, and Salvador took to pushing them down with his strength when possible. There were still so many, plus the vault hunters realized that that wizard was gone for the first time. Oh well, it didn't matter now.

Maya was holding a monster in the air when suddenly another punched her in the back sending her to the ground and releasing the suspended one.

Maya groaned and saw the creature raising its blade, face twisted in a mask of rage. She squeezed her eyes shut, but then a shriek and a scream of pain and a body thudded silently to the ground.

In its place was Bloodwing hovering before she took off to dive at more once again.

Maya smiled and got up to resume fighting.

After a while, the vault hunters realized that everybody was slowly being pushed back from the outer wall. They encountered increasingly dangerous and powerful orcs that seemed to have a higher standing in their own ranks.

The vault hunters had received many cuts and bruises too, because of their shields periodically failing, but nothing horrible like they were seeing throughout the fighting.

It was also unfortunate they never saw a bunch of orcs slowly making their way up the ramp leading to the gates. At the last moment when fire was being directed onto the creatures, Maya looked and saw shields falling away to reveal the orcs carrying a ram.

That wasn't any good, they couldn't breach Helms Deep.

Maya looked frantically around for Zer0 or Mordecai, but they weren't anywhere in sight.

_Shit, shit, shit!_

There was a loud command across the walls to shoot at the orcs, but mostly everybody was too busy to fight. Maya saw Lilith appear in the knot of a bunch of massive monsters siren wings out and blast them over the walls.

Maya waved her over, she ducked under another blade yet again. She unsheathed her knife given to her and stabbed the orc in the chest using her powers to make the blow a killing blow.

Lilith appeared and blasted back an approaching Orc the Maya shot it in the chest with her smg several times.

"Hey Lilith! Look over there!" Maya shouted and pointed to where the orcs where the ram was slowly breaking through the gate.

"You need to try and stop those things from getting through, I'm going to head to the gate house and see if i can also help hold them off!"

Lilith nodded and ducked under a blade then disappeared confusing the orc. Lilith reappeared then shot it in the head three times with her corrosive Maliwan smg.

It dissolved screaming in agony and Lilith spat at its corpse before facing another onslaught.

Maya fought her way down towards the gatehouse eventually. She'd received a cut on her calf that hurt, and had almost been knocked off the wall when a giant spearhead sent a guy flying away narrowly missing her.

Down at the gatehouse there was a bunch of panic as soldiers tried to hold the reinforced gate. Maya saw Theoden shouting commands, then she had an idea, at any minute it seemed the gate would break open. Perhaps she could hold it with her powers, only if she could get everybody's attention.

Maya waved at the king to get his attention and pushed her way over to him. "Sir, I have an idea to hold the gate, but I need everybody to moved back."

Maya flinched at another loud boom against the gate.

Theoden nodded and shouted at the soldiers to clear away. Maya took up a position in the wide circle her tattoos glowing as she gathered her powers.

Maya nodded to Theoden when she was ready and he waved the men holding the gate away.

Maya felt power rushing through her and to every soldier's wonder, but also concern, her siren wings unfurled and the ground around her feet was glowing including the gate.

Maya flinched at another blow to the gate but it held, though it was getting harder and harder as the wood was already weakened. Suddenly after five more powerful hits from the ram, a hole was blasted in the gate.

Maya gasped and collapsed panting from the massive drain on her powers. _Lilith, where the hell are you?_ She thought desperately.

Somebody pulled her away so she wouldn't be hit by the crossbow bolts that the orcs shot into the hole.

Lilith saw the ram blow through the gate, but was unable to get a clear place to transport herself to the outside ground. She looked frantically around and saw Axton and Mordecai fighting back to back.

Axton with his sub machine gun and sabre turret which fired rockets and bullets also pitching extra ammo, and Mordecai with his pistol and Bloodwing.

Lilith disapeared and reappeared in the knot around the two vault hunters blowing the surrounding creatures sky high.

Lilith shouted over the noise. "I need you to give me some breathing space to phase myself over to the outside of the gate!"

The two nodded."be careful Lily. Don't get yourself killed." Mordecai said. Then proceeded to keep a clear space around Lilith.

Confident she wouldn't be stabbed in the back, Lilith gathered her powers and disapeared. She was standing around a knot of dead or stunned creatures and more were coming up the ramp.

Lilith faced the charging orcs siren wings unfurled tattoos glowing and the creatures stumbled to a halt fearfully. One roared challengingly and Lilith smiled sweetly at them.

She heard a battle cry behind her and whipped around seeing Gimli flying through the air with Legolas just behind.

The orcs took this distraction as a chance to charge but one was swatted aside by Gimli's axe. Lilith nodded at them and charged another orc which screamed and stumbled off the ramp backwards.

The rest of the creatures didn't hesitate and Lilith sprayed them with bullets mowing down piles of them, shouting insults and profanities like a crazy maniac.

The fighting was tough, but it was just long enough that the soldiers behind the gate could seal it up with boards. But now it was to get out of there.

on top of the wall Aragorn leaned over shouting, "Legolas, Gimli, Lilith! I'm throwing a rope down!" The ranger threw a rope down for them to climb up.

Lilith stayed were she was and was about to shoot a bunch of orcs down but Gimli hesitated and waved over to her to come, but Lilith shook her head. "You two go, I'll hold them off for you!"

Legolas grabbed the dwarf in his arm, and they grabbed the thick rope. Lilith blasted away another onslaught and took the few seconds to teleport to safety in the body littered streets of Helms Deep.

Lilith leaned over panting, the fighting had taken its toll on her.

Zer0 cut and thrust at enemies, mostly fighting alone, but periodically fighting back to back with a random elf, who was always swift enough to match Zer0's speed, not quite his skill, but the elves were worthy allies to fight with making a deadly pairing with the assassin.

Right now he was alone. At some point he looked around seeing Axton and Mordecai fighting back to back, and Salvador ripping off the arms of an orc. But he couldn't see Lilith or Maya.

Where were they, Zer0 had seen Lilith teleport away somewhere, and Maya was gone for quite some time.

Zer0's thoughts were interrupted when suddenly a huge hand grabbed his neck and threw him on the ground. Zer0 flipped around winded and saw the sword descending.

There was no time to avoid it.

Then it was stopped as a bubble lifted up the creature and collapsed in on it crushing the monster.

Maya was standing there with a sort of smirk on her face and held out her hand. "Need some help?" Zer0 grabbed her hand, his helmet displaying a smiley face.

Zer0 heard a roar and without turning around stabbed the orc in the gut. He saw that Maya's face was pale, and her hands shook slightly.

"Are you okay? You seem pale and shaky, can you still fight?" Zer0 asked a little bit concerned.

Maya nodded, "yeah, I just over used my powers a bit, I can fight. Suddenly panic was echoing across the walls. Zer0 saw on the ground, a massive orc running with a torch in its hand towards a hole.

"Don't let it get to the wall!" The assassin heard echo a little ways away. He snatched his sniper rifle and took aim. An arrow hit its neck, it kept running. Zer0 fired, but too late. The thing stumbled and fell into the hole it was running towards.

"That's unfortunate."

BOOOOOM!


End file.
